


Wolves Of Secrets Book 2

by CrystalGirl259



Series: Wolves Of Secrets [2]
Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, M/M, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:28:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 76,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27265744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrystalGirl259/pseuds/CrystalGirl259
Summary: The intense trials and tribulations of school, friendships, heartbreak, and mystery continue as a new development unexpectedly returns to Ninjago putting Lloyd and his loved ones in danger. There is a scary new enemy, a surprisingly new arrival, a strange discovery from the distant past, and romantic developments in store for the pack...
Relationships: Cole/Kai (Ninjago), Nya/Jay Walker, P.I.X.A.L./Zane (Ninjago)
Series: Wolves Of Secrets [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1962856
Comments: 24
Kudos: 18





	1. Leader Of The Pack

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back and I bring another book for my Wolves of Secrets story. At first, I didn't know if I should do another story because I didn't think people would be interested. I was actually planning on doing a different, Lavashipping story but I said to myself I'd do this book first and see if people wanted anymore.

It had been three months since Morro had been left with Lloyd's father and Akita to the wild and things had been settling back down in Ninjago. As soon as they had realized Morro had run away, his foster parents and Social Services had filed a missing person's report but they never found him. Lloyd, Nya, and Kai had suggested tracking Morro down and bringing him back but the others stopped them, saying it was his decision to leave.

Nobody had even mentioned his name in nearly two months.

It was just too painful. During that time Zane and the others had finally sat down with Pixel and explained everything to her. About all their powers, their history, and even the few weaknesses the teens actually knew about. She had been incredibly fascinated by all of it and was constantly asking them questions for the first two months. The others had been thrilled that they didn't have to hide these kinds of things from her, especially Zane.

Things had been awkward between him and Pixel after she had discovered their secret but thankfully they worked it out and were still together.

True to her word, Pixel had taken down her theory website and never spoke about the beast in the forest again. Cyrus Borg was relieved, thinking his daughter had finally gotten out of this faze and was focusing on other projects. Pixel had been trying her best to make things up to the others, feeling guilty about finding out their secret and thinking it was her fault Morro was gone. When Ray and Maya had found Pixel knew the truth they had wanted to take their children and flee.

It was only after days of begging and promises to keep the secret on Pixel's part did the two parents agreed to let their children stay in Ninjago.

However, they made it very clear to Pixel that if she so much as breathed a word of this to anyone there would be no place she could hide. It was currently the night of the full moon and everyone was at their respected dens for the night. There was still just under an hour before moonrise so they were still getting ready for the night. In Lloyd's house, he, his family, and Nya were getting ready for the moonrise. Uncle Wu had just finished locking the doors and windows when he entered the kitchen and smelt something strange.

"What is that smell?" He asked and the two teens tried to hold in their laughter.

"Pixel brought us a present." Lloyd snickered and pulled out a dog chew from a plastic bag.

"Dog chews?" Uncle Wu glared as he snatched the chew out of his nephew's hand.

"I'm sure she meant well, Wu." Misako smiled.

"Do you know what these are made out of?" He glared as he took a sniff of the dog chew, only for his glare to slowly fade away. "Animal hide and...marrow." He muttered in a daze.

"Time we were in the den!" Misako laughed as she grabbed the bag and Wu started nibbling on the dog chew.

"Uncle Wu!" Lloyd cried in disgust.

"It's nice." He defended and they all followed Misako downstairs to the basement. As they walked in, however, Nya suddenly cried out in pain as she was suddenly hit in the head by something. She looked up and saw what looked like a gold, homemade owl decoration hanging from the ceiling

"Another present from Pixel." Lloyd shrugged. "Apparently, it's the wise old owl of the forest keeping an eye on the werewolves and bashing them on the head!" He laughed while Nya rubbed her head, glaring at the otherwise harmless decoration. "She just wants to be part of things."

"At least we know Pixel won't betray our secret." Misako sighed. "Nothing could break that special bond between a girl and her dogs." She smiled mischievously as Nya and Lloyd gasped in horror.

"Mom! We're not dogs!" He cried while she and his uncle laughed and barked and trying to tickle his and Nya's tummies as a joke. What the four werewolves didn't notice, however, was the tiny camera hidden in the owl's right eyes that was broadcasting a live video of the den straight to Pixel's laptop as the pale girl camped just on the edge of the woods outside Lloyd's house. She sat in the cold was watching three separate videos on her laptop.

Lloyd wasn't the only one who she had given a secret recording owl.

She had a clear video link into both Jay and Zane's den as well as Lloyd's. No one knew she was camping out here tonight, not even her father. Her father thought she was staying at Nya's, on a full moon. She thought it might help. If it looks like they have visitors on a full moon, no-one would suspect anything. As she watched her all friends laughing and preparing for their inevitable transformation, Pixel couldn't help but feel bad about what she was doing.

This time was incredibly private to the werewolves and she was well aware of that, but it was for science.

It was vital that she understand why her friends were so different and yet so similar to her. She knew the others weren't experiments in a laboratory, that they were her best friends, but this was very important for them as much as for her. She watched in awe as everyone stood around and suddenly transformed into their wolf forms. As Lloyd and his family played around in the den, Jay was playing with his toys, and Zane and the other boys ran out of their den through the tunnel.

As they went about their business, Pixel was taking notes.

She noticed that the full moon transformation was not instantaneous. All of them seemed to have changed at slightly different times. There wasn't much else to see now. Pixel had gotten what you wanted and was about to pack up and leave when she noticed Lloyd was acting strangely. He was jumping up at the cellar door and running around like crazy. Why was he behaving like that? Maybe he wanted to get out. Maybe he could smell her out here.

Pixel shook that idea off, knowing he couldn't from in there.

At least she hoped not. She started writing down how Lloyd was attempting to get out of the cellar. His parents and Nya seemed agitated, too. Of course, this could be the natural reaction to being locked up. She suddenly jumped out of her skin when she heard the sound of barking and something big coming towards her at high speeds. She gasped when she realized it was a wolf. Lloyd, his family, Nya, and Jay may have been locked up but the others weren't.

If they caught her out here they would discover what she was doing and there would be hell to pay.

As it got closer, however, she realized it was only one wolf and it seemed injured. The wolf slowed down and stopped right in front of her, looking up with pleading eyes.

"Morro?" She gasped and the wolf yipped as if to say yes. It was Morro! Before she could say or do anything else, however, Morro whipped his head around and snarled at something behind him before running past Pixel and towards Lloyd's house. She was confused for a moment until she heard more barking and running coming from the same direction. At first, she thought it was her other friends until they got closer. She had never seen these wolves before.

Fearing the worst, Pixel ran after Morro as fast as she could.

She jumped over the fence into Lloyd's back yard and saw Morro desperately pawing and scratching at the cellar door. Knowing what he wanted, Pixel was about to go and help him when she heard angry snarls coming from behind her. She swiftly turned and cried out in fear when she saw four strange wolves were jumping over the fence. They were about to lunge at her, only to cry out in pain when all four were suddenly attacked by Kai, Cole, and Zane.

The three boys had picked up the scent of four new wolves on their territory and had rushed to the rescue, arriving just in time.

While the seven wolves fought it out, Pixel quickly unlocked the cellar doors and opened them allowing Morro to jump down to safety. Cole, Kai, and Zane quickly followed. Pixel looked back at the strange wolves as they snarled and slowly walked towards her. Not thinking twice, she jumped down into the cellar, pulling the door shut just before the wolves could strike...

* * *

As soon as the sun had risen the next morning and they all returned to their human forms, Misako, Wu, and Lloyd had gone outside to search for the wild werewolves, with Morro following close behind. He had changed since he had left. His shoulder-length hair had grown down to his elbows and his normal bright green streak had dulled, almost completely faded away. Instead of his usual clothes, he now wore rags. He was wearing a pale tanned tank top with small holes and stains on it under a thick black coat and dirty brown pants.

The boy looked and smelled like he had never had a shower in his life.

All his wounds had been treated and bandaged. Thankfully, none of them were serious. When they had returned to human form Pixel had to keep her eyes covered as to not see something she wasn't supposed to. They all knew Pixel didn't have a choice, but it was still embarrassing! The dens were private for a reason.

"There's not much scent." Uncle Wu commented as they sniffed around the back yard. "These wild werewolves didn't stay long." He added and they all turned to Morro, who had yet to say a word.

"They hate the human world, I didn't think they would follow me this far." He muttered, keeping his gaze to the ground.

"Who were they?"

"Clouse, Krux, and Acronix, they're just beta wolves - henchmen, and Chen." He gulped and everyone noticed the fear in his voice when he said the last name. Misako and Wu frowned; they had heard that name before but they couldn't remember where.

"And who's Chen?" Lloyd asked. Meanwhile, inside the house, everyone was sat in the living room and the kitchen, trying to think about what was going to happen now that Morro had returned. Kai and Cole were upstairs having a shower while the others were getting breakfast ready. Because the boys didn't have a spare change of clothes, they had to borrow some of Lloyd's. Zane had called his father to inform him what had happened and the old man said he was bringing some clean clothes to them.

"You're being chased by the pack leader!" Lloyd cried as he, his family, and Morro came back inside. "What happened out there?"

"I broke the rules." He mumbled.

"Alphas don't leave their pack because you broke some rules, not unless you did something unforgivable," Misako said in disbelief.

"He chased you all the way here?" Lloyd asked.

"How did you make him that angry?" Wu glared as Kai and Cole came downstairs.

"He hated me, OK?!" Morro suddenly exploded. "Because I was new because I didn't obey stupid laws because I was different! He hated me for the same reasons you hate me!" He screamed and everyone fell into an uncomfortable silence.

"Scrambled or fried?" Zane suddenly said with a nervous smile, holding up a carton of eggs from the fridge, but no one said anything.

"Come on, Morro, we don't hate you." Kai finally sighed.

"You threw me out of your pack!" He cried.

"This isn't about us!" Cole exclaimed. "It's about why there's a wild alpha male roaming our territory, putting us all in danger."

"I didn't mean for this to happen." He said before storming out of the house. As soon as he was gone, Lloyd gave everyone a glare.

"Well done, guys!" He growled.

"He chose to go with Garmadon." Nya reminded him.

"Only because I found out." Pixel said from her place next to Zane. "You were all leaving too, what else was he going to do?"

"He comes back in trouble and we welcome him with open arms?!" Cole snapped.

"Yes, we are because we're his pack!" Lloyd shouted before running after the lone wolf. He didn't have to go far as he found Morro angrily walking up the muddy road into the forest.

"Don't worry about me, I'm gone!" He said, not even turning around to face the other teen.

"You've got nowhere to go, come back inside." He pleaded as he blocked Morro's path.

"Your family doesn't want me here!"

"They're all just scared that there's more going on than you're telling us, but you know what? I don't care." He insisted. "So Chen's out there running around, big deal, maybe you did some bad stuff out there? Who cares? Come back inside and be part of the pack again." He begged and after much consideration, Morro reluctantly nodded and followed Lloyd back to his home. When they got home they found everyone sat around the dining room table waiting for them.

"So, how are we going to fix this?" Cole asked.

"We'll make some calls." Wu sighed. "First Social Services and then the Dobsons."

"You can't tell Social Services I'm back! They'll send me to a home!" Morro cried.

"There are people we can go to, werewolves in positions of authority that can solve problems the rest of us can't," Misako reassured the frightened teen. After they had all had some breakfast, Dr. Julien had arrived with the clothes and after being told the whole situation, decided to stay and give the children, minus Morro, a lift to school.

"Listen, stay on the school grounds, and don't go anywhere on your own and not a word about Morro until we've got this sorted," Misako told them as they were all getting ready to leave.

"You'll let us know as soon as anything happens, with Social Services, or anything?" Kai asked.

"Everything's going to be fine, I'll pick you all up at 3.30 pm." She promised and with that the teens all piled into Dr. Juilen's car and drove to school, unaware they were being watched...

* * *

Later that afternoon at lunch everyone had met up with Jay and told him everything about Morro's return and the wild werewolves he had unintentionally brought with him. The adopted werewolf was terrified the wild werewolves would show up here but was quickly reassured but Nya. Even though the school was on the edge of the city, right next to the forest, there was no way those wild werewolves would have the guts to actually enter the school grounds.

"I don't understand why they've chased him all this way," Jay said as they ate their lunch

"There must be something he's not telling us." Lloyd sighed.

"He must have done something really bad." Nya pointed out.

"He looked terrified," Pixel added.

"Yeah, good job you were in the woods last night." Zane smiled and Pixel blushed faintly, trying not to look guilty. When they had asked her why she was out there, she had simply said that she was trying to cover for them by pretending to be over at Nya and Kai's apartment during a full moon and she was doing homework on her laptop. Thankfully none of them had seen the videos or her research. She wanted to tell them about the camera but it would be easier if she just took the camera out of the owls before anyone found out.

They were well hidden but she didn't want to take the risk.

Unfortunately, with everything that was going on, it wouldn't be possible to take the cameras back at the moment. Morro was what was important right now. She could only hope that if they do manage to find the cameras they would understand her reason. The werewolves will get found out one day. The internet, camera-phones, CCTV; it is going to happen and whoever finds them might decide they're a danger to humanity, that they're evil, but she would have evidence proving that they can control their instincts and live peacefully among humans.

Just like they had been doing for hundreds of years.

The day the secret comes out, Pixel's evidence might be the only thing that could save them. She was doing it to make them safer and she was going to take the camera out of the dens as soon as she could. She already had enough evidence so now she could leave them one place where they could be themselves.

"Why aren't they answering?" Lloyd suddenly growled, snapping Pixel out of her thoughts, He had been trying to ring his mother and uncle but there was no answer.

"You're getting into a state about nothing, Lloyd!" Cole sighed in frustration.

"What if the wild werewolves are attacking the house right now?!"

"Those werewolves are halfway back to the frozen north by now, your parents are just sorting out Morro," Jay reassured the worried teen. "Everything will be fine."...

* * *

After lunch, the pack had gone to gym class where the instructor was giving everyone a judo lesson. All the students were dressed in judo robes and were placed in pairs as they stood on mats spread around the gymnasium. The gym coach was explaining how in Judo, never oppose strength with strength, work out your opponent's attack and use their weaknesses against them as he told them to stand square on the mats and to spread their weight between both feet.

Everyone was busying doing the moves when all of a sudden the doors opened and everyone was shocked to see Morro Ren walking into the gymnasium.

He had had a bath and was dressed in his usual clothes, but his hair was still incredibly long. Before Lloyd and the others could even breathe all the other students swarmed over to the lone wolf and started firing off all kinds of questions.

"Where have you been?" Dareth asked.

"Wow, you really need a haircut!" Harumi laughed.

"Thought we'd seen the last of you." Chad glared.

"Where've you been? On the run?" Maggie asked in fascination.

"From who, the hairdressers?" Harumi scoffed at her.

"Since when has running away made anyone a hero?" Chad glared, annoyed by how much attention Morro was suddenly getting.

"No-one called him a hero!" Kai snarled.

"Why is everyone treating him like a rock star then? He's a kid who ran away." Chad sneered, trying to get a rise out of the long-haired teen. But Morro simply looked the jock over and smirked.

"So what is this, Chad? A pajama party?"

"Judo, actually."

"Kids' stuff." He scoffed and began to walk away.

"Really? Try to grab me then." Chad challenged, but Morro ignored him and continued walking. This only seemed to anger Chad more, however, and he charged toward the lone wolf before anyone could stop him. Reacting on pure instinct, Morro grabbed Chad's arm, flung him over his shoulder like he weighed nothing, and threw him into the mats nearly ten feet away from them. While most of the students cheered Morro on Chad's gang rushed to his side to help him up.

The gym teacher quickly broke up the fight before it even began and sent Morro to the principal's office.

As he walked away, Lloyd and the others could only watch him leave, worry clear on their faces as the alarm bell rang loudly...

* * *

After the Judo incident at gym class, Chad had been sent straight to the nurse's office for a possible dislocated shoulder and Morro had yet to return from the principal's office. Everyone else had gone to their History lesson with the lovely Miss. Koko where they were learning who the world of 1918 was very different from today. As Miss. Koko was halfway taking through a lecture about soldiers from 1918, Morro suddenly burst into the classroom.

Everyone watched as he sat at his usual desks without a word.

"Hurry up, Morro, and open your textbook to page 15; you're already three months late, let's not make it any worse." Koko sighed and started her lecture again. She explained how soldiers returning from the front were changed by their experiences. They returned uncommunicative, prone to mood swings, and unable to adjust to their old way of life. The rest of the lesson was uneventful until the end. Lloyd and the others quickly left the classroom and Morro chased after them.

"Guys, I'm sorry!" He exclaimed as he caught up with them. "I didn't mean-"

"You're always sorry Morro!" Kai growled. "Then you do the same old stupid shit again!"

"Coming back from the wild, it's not like coming home from a vacation." Morro frowned.

"You've changed, that's for sure." Said Lloyd.

"What did you expect?" He glared. "I mean, the things you do in the wild, they're different, then you come back and you just feel..."

"Moody, apparently." Nya huffed.

"Why does it always have to be my fault?!"

"We're just trying to help you, Morro." Replied Zane.

"What, by asking questions all the time? Just stay out of my head!" He yelled as he violently pushed past them, knocking Jay to the ground, and disappeared around the corner. While the others were checking on Jay, Pixel saw red and ran after Morro. She followed him through the school until they were alone in a stairwell. The same stairwell the others first spoke to Morro when he moved here.

"What do you think you're doing, speaking to the others like that?!" She shouted in a rage but he just laughed bitterly.

"You're so fond of questions, Pixel, answer me this one, what were you really doing camped outside Lloyd's on your computer, during a full moon?" He asked and Pixel's face went even paler. "See? We all have our secrets." He spat before walking away, leaving her all alone on the stairs...

* * *

Morro sighed as he stepped out to the back of the school for some fresh air. He knew this was a mistake to come back to Ninjago City, but he didn't know where else to go. Lloyd and the others were the only other werewolves he knew outside the wild pack. He didn't even know if any of them were still in the city after Pixel had discovered their secret. He didn't have a choice, however. Not with Chen and his followers hunting him for miles and miles until he couldn't run anymore.

He just took a chance and ran to the nearest den, Lloyd's house, and hoped they would be able to help him.

Instead, he's brought more problems than ever before. Before he could punish himself even more, however, his nose suddenly caught the scent of something very familiar. Something very dangerous. Deciding not to chase after the scent, Morro knelt down, placed his hand on the grass, and concentrated. During his time with Chen's pack, they had taught him the wild werewolf power of Jōhō. It was a little difficult because he was right next to the school, but he was close enough to the forest to manage it.

Using his Jōhō he looked around and nearly screamed.

Hiding behind the janitor's shed, only fifty feet away from him, was Chen and his three followers. Without even thinking about it, Morro took off running back into the safety of the school and looked for Lloyd and the others. He eventually found them by their lockers and dragged them into an empty classroom.

"They're here! Outside!" He screamed and they instantly knew what he was talking about.

"They can't be!" Cole cried.

"Yeah, they wouldn't come this close!" Jay whimpered.

"They have! You need to ring your parents and keep everyone inside!" Morro exclaimed.

"They've already invaded our territory, and come this close to the school!" Kai snapped. "How the fuck do we know they won't come into the school while there are humans here!?"

"I'll lead them away!

"Don't be stupid! They're trying to kill you!" Lloyd shouted.

"I brought them here!"

"It is your fault, but you're not going out there alone!" Ordered Nya.

"We need to understand our enemy and use their strengths against them." Pixel explained and Zane suddenly got an idea.

"Morro understands the wild pack, a bit." He said. "And we can use that."...

* * *

Outside, behind the school, currently devoid of humans, the four wild werewolves were slowly walking towards the highschool. They were led by Chen and by his side were the siblings, Krux and Acronix, and his loyal follower Clouse. Chen wore a skull-like helmet atop his head along with a thick snake-like scarf resting along on his shoulder. He had a mustache-goatee, thick eyebrows, and thick sideburns and hair, all of which were black in color.

The black shirt he was wearing was a collection of dirt and who knows what else.

Small holes and tears were scattered all over the shirt. Chen wore a scraggy red coat over his shirt. It was greasy, full of stains and torn, but at least it helped him stay relatively dry, even if only for a little. His black pants weren't what they used to be either. There were holes all over the bottom part and there was a big tear on the right side. His boots were ragged, a little too small and there was a hole in the left toebox which was letting in water and dirt.

Krux had short grey hair and a small grey mustache with forest green eyes.

His dark red shirt was a real bad mess and it barely managed to hang from his shoulders like a discarded old towel. Insects or rodents had chewed hundreds of small holes into it, leaving much of him exposed to the elements. He was wearing a ripped, silver fleece over his t-shirt. It was a size too small, stained, and dirty, but at least it protected him from the wind, even if only for a little. The knees on his black pants were torn and there were plenty of other small tears all over.

His boots were old and a size too small.

He wore a large black scarf around his neck and had it wrapped around his face to just below the eyes. It was ragged and stained, but at least it was not smelly. His younger brother Acronix had long shoulder-length black hair and the same forest green eyes. What was once a bright red t-shirt was now merely a dirt-stained piece of fabric, clinging tightly to his body. He's wearing a black, rugged vest over his t-shirt. It was a size too large, dirty, and torn, but at least it helped him stay warm.

He wore black pants that were covered in dirt stains, holes, and tears were scattered all over, but at least he had thick black boots to protect his feet.

Although they were grimy, way too big and the sole of the left shoe has come loose at the heel. He wore a black scarf around his neck and had it wrapped around his face to just below the eyes like his brother. It was torn and worn, but otherwise in a decent shape. His head was covered by a black hood that was old and ragged, but otherwise in a good and relatively clean condition. Clouse had long black hair past his shoulders, dark eyes, and a cold aged face with a thin mustache.

His red jumper was torn, dirt-stained, and the neck had been torn on one side.

He was wearing an old red poncho over his t-shirt with faded purple outlines. It was worn out, dirty, and stained with grime, but at least it helped him stay protected. His pants had holes everywhere and the legs had been shortened by wear and tear, but at least he had black boots to protect his feet from the elements. Although they were ragged, a little too small, and the heel of the left shoe was worn far more than the right. His head was covered by a red hood that was in surprisingly good condition.

It was old, but there were no holes or stains.

"We shouldn't be here." Krux hissed as his eyes kept darting around. "Why all this risk for a defiant cub?"

"You've made your point, Chen." His brother glared. "Isn't it time we go home before we're caught?"

"We came for him and we don't leave without him." Chen snarled, looking at the towering building in front of them.

"But-"

"Are you daring to challenge your leader?!" Chen bellowed as he snapped around to face them. The three other werewolves quickly bowed their heads in fear and shut up. Before they could do anything else, however, they suddenly picked the scent of their prey and turned back to the school to see Morro standing there, standing tall and brave.

"What's up, Chen? Scared of a few kids?" He mocked loudly. "Oh, no, electricity, lights, walls!" He scoffed and Chen saw red.

"Get him!" He roared and his three followers ran after Morro. The lone wolf ran away and lead the wild werewolves throughout the empty halls. All the other students were busy in their classes so they were hoping no humans saw them. As the wild werewolves chased after the lone wolf, they were so enraged they failed to see the others scattered around the school, secretly snapping pictures. Once they were done, they all met up in the empty gymnasium and handed the memory cards to Jay, who put them in a projector.

"This had better work!" Cole exclaimed as Pixel quickly left. If the wild werewolves smelled her here they would kill her. Not even five seconds later, Morro burst into the gymnasium with Chen and his followers close behind. All four wild werewolves stopped when they saw the six teens Morro was hiding behind.

"Run to the tame wolves, have you?" Chen sneered in disgust. "They can't protect you."

"W-Whatever Morro's done, it's over." Gulped Jay.

"You don't belong here." Kai glared.

"Tell that to him." Chen spat as Morro flinched. "He encouraged my pack to contaminate themselves with human contact!"

"It's not wrong to mix with humans!" Morro snapped back.

"We mix with them, we become like them, we become weak!" The wild alpha shouted. "You brought that weakness into my pack and you will pay for it!"

"You're breaking the rules, too," Lloyd spoke up. "This is our territory, and Morro's one of our pack!"

"You need to leave! Now!" Nya snarled.

"Brave words for a tame wolf," Clouse growled as the wild wolves stepped towards the teens. While all the werewolves snarled and challenged each other, Lloyd quickly pressed a button and the projector suddenly turned on, brightening the previously dark room. The wild werewolves gasped in shock as the pictures the others had taken appeared on the wall in front of them. In the pictures, their yellow eyes, sharpened teeth, and darkened veins and gums were clearly visible.

"Look at yourselves." Zane glared at the wild werewolves. "Look at all the evidence."

"Chen!" Krux shouted in panic and rage.

"There are humans everywhere!" Acronix cried. "What if they see this?!"

"What's the number one rule?" Cole mocked. "Don't let humans find out."

"That is what I will do!" Chen screamed and charged at the wall. He brought his claws downed and created a large scratch in the wall but as shocked when the picture stayed.

"That won't work," Kai smirked as Chen turned back toward them, looking ready to murder all of them right there and then.

"One-click of a button and I'll send them halfway around the world." Threatened Jay as he lifted a remote for the wild werewolves to see. "Or I can make the evidence disappear if you leave and never come back."

"You have to do as the cubs say." Acronix hissed.

"We should never have come here," Clouse growled.

"Be quiet, you mewling cowards!" Chen exclaimed before turning back to the teens. "Even a tame werewolf knows keeping the secret is the most important part-"

"The most important thing to me is my family." Lloyd quickly debunked. "And if it means keeping them safe, I'll tell the entire world." He added so strongly that Chen paused, unable to tell if the teen in front of him was lying or not.

"Forget this pathetic cub, your responsibility is to your pack!" Krux hissed.

"If you won't do the right thing, you're no leader at all!" His brother shouted.

"Enough!" Chen snapped, slashing the siblings across the face with his claws before calmly turning to the tame werewolves. "We will leave." He snarled. Lloyd started into his fiery eyes for a few moments before nodding to Kai and Cole, who instantly backed away to allow the wild werewolves to leave. All the werewolves growled as the intruders started to leave.

"And don't come back." Nya suddenly spat. Chen slowed to a stop and turned to face the teens, his face red with rage.

"You want Morro, you keep him." He snarled. "But your pack and my pack, we're enemies now." He warned before he and his followers ran out the fire exit doors, towards the forest, and out of sight...


	2. The New Kid In Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected arrival puts the werewolves in jeopardy and Lloyd and the others must choose sides...

It had been almost a week since Morro had returned and so far everything had been going alright for the pack. Misako and Wu had spoken with Morro and Social Services and had arranged for Morro to live with them as a foster child. Morro had been over the moon when Lloyd told him this. He was currently helping Misako and Wu unpack the few things the Dobsons hadn't thrown out when he had run away. Unfortunately, most of his belongings were gone.

Except for a few of his cards, two video games, and a framed photograph of his biological parents.

Of all the things they had recovered, Morro was thankful that at least he still had that picture. It was literally the only thing he had left to remember them by. He had considered taking it to the wild with him but decided not to, not wanting to lose or damage it out there.

"It's brilliant, Mrs. Garmadon, you shouldn't have gone to all this trouble." Morro smiled as they finished unpacking his things. At Nya's assistance, he had gotten his hair cut back to it's original length to his shoulders and re-dyed his green streak.

"It's Misako, and it's no trouble, it's what I do." She smiled warmly at the teen.

"Misako and I, we have been a bit too hard on you so... this is just our way of saying welcome to the pack." Wu sighed as he places a comforting hand on Morro's shoulder.

"What have you done with my school clothes?" Asked Lloyd as he stepped into Morro's new room, still in his pajamas.

"They're on the line." Misako shrugged, not really paying attention to her son.

"What? In this weather?!"

"Bring them in then, I'm not your servant, and bring the rest with you!" She called after him as he rushed downstairs. Lloyd heard her but just huffed in frustration as he picked up the basket and stepped out into the backyard. He suddenly froze, however, and started sniffing the air; his eyes widening as he picked up a familiar yet strange scent, a wild scent. He slowly walked around the corner and saw a girl his age stealing his clothes!

"Hey! What're you doing!" He yelled and the girl whipped around to face him.

The girl had short eyelashes and tanned skin, with long cherry-red hair in a ponytail and dull amber eyes. What was once an orange t-shirt was now a dirty, tattered mess of fibers and fabric, only barely able to hang from her shoulders like a discarded old towel. There was a huge hole in one of the shoulders, leaving much of her body exposed to the elements. She was wearing a ripped orange coat over her t-shirt. It was a nasty mess of stains and dirt, but at least it helped her fight the elements, even if only for a little.

Her dark brown pants weren't in great shape either.

There was a big tear on the left side of her pants which ran from the top to almost the bottom. But at least she had shoes to protect her feet. Although they were tattered, barely the right size and there was a hole in the right toebox which was letting in water and dirt. She was wearing a large scarf around her neck and had it wrapped around her face in a way that covered the chin. It was old and worn, but otherwise in a good condition.

As soon as she saw the blonde teen her amber eyes turned bright yellow and they both started growling at each other, slowly circling around the empty backyard.

"Skylor?!" Morro suddenly cried as he, Misako, and Wu stepped outside, shocked by what they were seeing. The sound of his voice seemed to shatter the tension because as soon as she saw she was outnumbered, the wild girl, Skylor, jumped over the fence and took off running into the forest. Lloyd tried to chase after her but was grabbed by his mother.

"Get off! She stole my clothes!"

"I'm sure she didn't mean any harm," Morro reassured them.

"How would you know? Who is she?" Wu frowned and Morro looked towards the direction she had fled.

"Skylor... Chen's daughter."...

* * *

After explaining to the Garmadon family everything about this Skylor girl, Morro and Lloyd headed to school to tell the others what had happened. They were talking about this by their lockers so they were trying to be as quiet as possible. Because Skylor had taken most of his clean clothes, Lloyd had to wear odd and ragged clothes with the excuse to the teachers that his washing machine destroyed most of his clean clothes. This caused many passing students to laugh and point at him.

He ignored this however and focused on the more pressing problem.

They were all shocked that Chen's daughter was sneaking around Lloyd's home and they were worried about what this meant.

"What were you doing, facing off with a wild werewolf like that?" Cole scolded.

"I was fine until Morro scared her away with half my wardrobe!"

"But why us?" Jay asked nervously. "Why come to the one house where she might be recognized?"

"It's a challenge," Kai growled. "The pack wants us to know they're still out there."

"No, Chen wouldn't put Skylor in danger like that, she's everything to him." Argued Morro.

"Well, maybe he doesn't see us as a danger." Nya shrugged. "Wild werewolves have a pretty low opinion of our kind."

"Maybe, but if the wild pack has come back, then Chen wouldn't send Skylor in to steal a few clothes." Morro insisted. "I could try to find her and-"

"And get lured into a trap?" Pixel frowned.

"So what do we do?" Zane asked. As the others were trying to think up a plan, Morro sighed and his eyes caught Harumi standing further up the hallway, talking to her friends about something. Judging by the look on the lead cheerleader's face, it serious. Morro used his enhanced hearing to listen to the group's discussion.

"What? So, all they took was the meat?" Maggie asked.

"The butcher had only just delivered it, turned his back for a moment, and when he looked some girl was running off with it." Harumi shrugged.

"I can't believe your parents told you not to do anything." Cole suddenly said, snapping Morro's concentration. The lone wolf was about to say something when his noses suddenly picked up on something. He sniffed and turned around to see Skylor standing behind him in a high school corridor full of human teenagers. She was wearing Lloyd's green sweater and black track pants. There were a bit baggy on her frame. Even with the clean clothes, Skylor still looked very disheveled and smelt bad.

"Skylor? What are you doing here?" Morro hissed as the others silently glared at her.

"Going to school, like a human." She replied as if it was a stupid question. "Just like you did, Morro."

"You can't be here!" He glared.

"Why not? You were the one who said I should try living like one."

"That was when we were arguing about them!" He scowled as a group of girls walked past. They all looked at Skylor with disgust as they laughed and sneered. Skylor snarled and made to lunge at them. Before she could, however, Morro quickly grabbed her and dragged her into a nearby janitor's closet. As he shut the door, the wild werewolf looked around the new room in fascination.

"Is this your den? It stinks." She gagged.

"Skylor... what are you doing here?" He asked. Outside the room, the others were making sure no one entered the closet and trying to convince Pixel to leave before Skylor saw her.

"Go to the classroom and distance yourself, we'll get rid of her." Instructed Jay as they tried pushing her down the hall.

"What? But she's dangerous!" Pixel exclaimed, casting a worried look at the door.

"No, she's dangerous to you!" Kai countered.

"Wild werewolves have killed people who discovered their secret," Nya explained and Pixel shuddered in fear. "If she finds out that you know...just go..." She pleaded and Pixel quickly walked away. As soon as she was gone, Lloyd and Zane went into the room to see what was going on. As soon as he saw Skylor, Lloyd scowled and stepped right up to her.

"First you stole my clothes and now you just walk into school as if you belong here?!" He snarled.

"I do what I want! I don't answer to tame werewolves!" She jeered in disgust as if calling them tame left a vile taste in her mouth. The red mist descended and Lloyd started growling as his veins darkened and his eyes turned yellow. Skylor's body followed suit and the small janitor's closet was filled with low, animalistic growls.

"All right! All right!" Morro cried as he and Zane pulled the two teens apart.

"Why do not we hear what she's got to say?" Zane suggested and both Lloyd and Skylor reluctantly calmed down.

"Did Chen send you after me? Where is he?"

"Don't know, don't care." She shrugged.

"What? You came here on your own?" Morro asked in disbelief before his skin paled in fear. "Skylor, did you run away from the pack?"

"He threw me out!" She suddenly cried as she hugged Morro tightly and rested her head against his chest. "I just wanted to see what human life was like and he called me a traitor! I don't know anyone outside my pack, only you, please let me stay!" She begged with the best puppy eyes Morro had ever seen. After an internal battle, he sighed in defeat and looked away from her pleading gaze.

"Of course, you can stay."

"What?!" Lloyd and Zane exclaimed.

"When your parents didn't want me around, you said they have a duty to help me." He reminded them as he took hold of Skylor's hand. "Well, we have a duty to help Skylor."

"Yeah, well... It is not as simple as that." Zane stuttered, casting a nervous glance at the wild werewolf.

"Yeah, you can't just walk her into class!" Lloyd screamed.

"Watch me." He glared before leading the redhead out the closet and down the hall. The others all shared a worried and angry look before chasing after them while Lloyd stayed behind and called up his mother...

* * *

By the time the others arrived in their homeroom, they saw Morro and Skylor at the front of the class with the teacher, Miss. Koko, as she sorted through some papers with a confused frown on her face. Seeing they were in a crowded classroom full of humans, the werewolf teens decided it was best not to confront Skylor and Morro and create a scene so they silently went to take their seats.

"I should have your transfer forms here," Koko muttered in frustration before turning to the two teens. "Do you have the letters that were sent to your parents?" She asked Skylor, who looked at her with confusion and disgust. This was the first time she'd ever spoken or been close to a human in her entire life.

"Um, probably hasn't caught up with them yet; her family are travelers." Morro quickly lied as a few of the other students snickered quietly at that.

"Well, I'm sorry Skylor, but you can't be starting at a new school until we have the necessary paperwork." She explained as she turned her back to the teens to check the bottom drawer of her desk. Thinking the human woman was denying her something she wanted, Skylor bared her teeth and reached out to grab Koko, but Morro quickly grabbed her hand. An action that didn't go unnoticed.

"Hey Morro, I didn't know your girlfriend was in town." Chad suddenly exclaimed as the entire room burst into laughter.

"Thank you!" Koko shouted and they shut up as she turned to the two teens once again. "In the meantime, you can sit down and I'll talk to the principal at lunch, see if anything has arrived." She smiled and went back to her papers. Morro smiled and led Skylor to the back of the class as the other students began to gossip about the new kid among themselves. However, thanks to the werewolves' sensitive hearing, they all heard every word.

"What a mess!"

"Look at the state of her."

"Look at those clothes."

"She is disgusting."

"Oh, what's that stink?"

"Do you think she's even washed?"

"Calm down and just ignore them." Morro suddenly whispered to her, who looked ready to kill. Thankfully she was so angry her body was showing signs of transforming, yet anyway. Just as the two of them sat down, Lloyd suddenly burst into the classroom, out of breath.

"You're late, Lloyd." Koko sighed.

"Sorry miss, I left my homework in my locker and had to grab it."

"All right, please take a seat." She said as she began to write out the lesson on the board. Lloyd went to sit in his usual seat next to Morro but froze when he saw Skylor was sat in his seat. The two locked eyes for a moment. While Skylor was staring at him with a completely stoic face, Lloyd glared in fury at her, ready to throw her out of the chair.

"Lloyd, will you please sit down?" The teacher suddenly said, snapping Lloyd back to reality. The blonde teen frowned and walked to sit at the other side of the classroom. "OK, everyone, settle down please; turn to page 29 and we'll start."...

* * *

During their break, the group sat in the library as they talked about Miss. Koko. The only ones not present were Pixel, Zane, and Lloyd. The others didn't know what they were gonna do about her going to the principal about Skylor's school transfer papers. No one knew what was going to happen when he couldn't find any history about the new girl in his school.

"We can make paperwork, we've got paper lying around," Skylor suggested.

"It doesn't work like that." Cole sighed.

"Lloyd's mother and uncle are working on it now, they can create a history for you, but it'll take some time," Jay said.

Thanks." She smiled crookedly as her eyes wandered around the library. Morro told that if she wanted to stay she had to be nice to the members of the pack, whether they were wild or not.

"So we just have to stop Miss. Koko going to the principal's office at lunch," Kai said before turning to the new girl "And you need to try and fit in, keep your head down, otherwise we'll have bigger problems than paperwork."

"I will,"

"Even if the paperwork does turn up, how is she going to fit in if she's never been to school before?" Nya asked when Chad, Harumi, and Maggie suddenly burst into the library and made a bee-line for the group.

"Teaching ya new girlfriend how to read?" The jock sneered. "Ya should start with the baby books."

"What is that perfume? Eau De Fish Rot?" Harumi added to the group as the bullies walked away. As they left the library, Maggie shoved Skylor into the stack of books in front of her. As they left, Skylor shot up and almost charged at them but was quickly held back by Morro.

"That's exactly what we mean! You can't make a scene!" He hissed.

"Sorry." The wild werewolf mumbled in embarrassment as Jay and Nya shared a concerned look.

"The first thing to learn is not to use your powers every time someone makes fun of you." Cole frowned.

"I know."

"Can you even control your powers?" Jay asked

"I... I just don't normally have to," She argued.

"Do you even know when it's happening?" Questioned Kai.

"Not really, but I'll learn to,"

"You don't have any time to learn!" Nya hissed.

"I'll try," Skylor said again frowning at the tame werewolves' tone. As the awkward silence grew, Nya suddenly sniffed and gagged slightly at the new girl.

"You really do need that shower." She grumbled and dragged a confused and annoyed Skylor away to the girls' changing rooms. The boys just sighed, hoping she didn't attack Nya as soon as she turned the shower on...

* * *

Lunch came too soon and the lunch hall was packed. Nya and Skylor were there as well. Skylor's wet hair was still a little damp but at least she smelled a lot better, not that she saw it like that. She came here to learn, not get wet. As the new girl poked at the strange food on her tray in fascination and confusion, Lloyd sighed as he hung up the phone with his uncle.

"Papers still not ready." He sighed, knowing that they could be in hot water very soon. While the pack was coming up with a plan, they failed to notice that Chad was glaring in disgust at the group before a thought bubbled in his head and he turned to the girls.

"Hey, Harumi I heard some meat got stolen from your butcher for your dad's casino." He said.

"So?" She shrugged.

"By some homeless looking girl? Bit of a coincidence don't you think? I mean, your meat disappears and she turns up here the next day." He smirked when the lead cheerleader finally caught on. She suddenly shot forward towards the table with a fire in her eyes.

"Where were you last night?!" She snarled loudly, attracting the attention of the other students in the cafeteria.

"What are you talking about?" Zane asked, a bit self-conscience at the stares they were getting.

"I was talking to her." She growled, glaring at Skylor. "Someone stole meat from my father's casino and my money's on you!"

"Why would I want your meat? Bet it smells as bad as you do." She huffed.

"The only thing that smells bad around here is you freak." She sneered, causing Skylor to stand up and stand toe-toe with her.

"Leave it, Skylor." Cole encouraged as Skylor mumbled some words to herself to calm down. She had promised Morro that she would control the wolf and she had meant it.

"Huh? What did you say to me? I asked you a question!" Harumi glared, only to scream when Skylor suddenly snapped and lunged at her, knocking them both to the ground. The entire lunch hall suddenly erupted in chaos as the students started chanting 'fight' over and over again. All Lloyd and his friends could only watch in horror as Miss. Koko burst through the crowd.

"Stop that at once!" She shouted, but the two brawling girls ignored her. "I said STOP!" She exclaimed as she finally pulled the teens apart.

"She started it, Miss!" Chad suddenly shouted.

"I didn't!"

"Yeah, she's crazy!" Harumi cried.

"You two, get cleaned up then go to the principal's office! You have five minutes!"

"I'll take her, miss," Jay suggested.

"No, you will all sit down and finish your lunch." The teacher ordered as she led Harumi and Harumi out of the lunch hall. The others were all panicking. Skylor could lose what little control she had over her wolf and attack the principal.

"She's like a wild animal," Kai growled as he and the others stepped out of the lunch hall to talk about what they were going to do with Skylor's behavior.

"You're exaggerating." Morro glared.

"If you'd stopped to think for a second, instead of rushing them into the classroom, we wouldn't be in this mess." Lloyd hissed.

"What? So I should be like you and come up with a million reasons why we can't help one of our own?" He glared at the others before storming off, fearing he'd do something they would regret. After he left, Pixel turned to her friends.

"If you want them to fit in, we need to act normally around them." She said with a reassuring tone.

"We do not want her to fit in! We want her to go back to the wild." Nya growled.

"What about Morro? Do you not think it is good that he finally has someone to talk to?" Zane asked

"He has us." Cole frowned but the couple just sighed.

"Maybe the biggest obstacle to Skylor making a life here isn't Harumi and Chad or how unfamiliar with the human world she is; maybe it is you." Pixel glared before storming off with Zane following close behind. The other werewolves just shared confused looks before looking to the clock. It wouldn't be long before their next lesson. They all headed to the principal's office to get Skylor and found Morro already there, leaning against the wall next to the door.

He noticed the others but didn't say anything.

They all stood in silence for about five minutes until the door suddenly opened.

"Well?" Morro asked when Skylor finally exited the room with an annoyed look on her face.

"The Principal said, 'I'm giving you a detention', but then he didn't give me anything." She growled as Lloyd and his friends tried to stifle their fits of laughter at her confusion. "What's funny?" She frowned.

"Nothing." Morro quickly said when the bell suddenly rang.

"Er, we have to go," Jay said and started leading the wild girl to their next lesson.

"So you didn't lose control in there?" Kai asked.

"No, do you think I'd still be here if I did?"

"Good point." Nya shrugged when Koko walked up to them.

"There you are." She smiled and they froze. "I've just been on the phone to the Education Authority; they send yours and your friends' paperwork to the wrong school but don't worry they're faxing it over now." She laughed and they all breathed a sigh of relief before she walked away...

* * *

During their history lesson, where they were given a pop quiz, Morro had to fill out Skylor's paper since the wild werewolf didn't know anything about the human world's history. After he was done filling out his and Skylor's papers he slipped his fellow werewolf the paper back to her, not knowing Chad was watching them the entire time.

"I saw that, thicko." He sneered to Skylor, quiet enough so the other human students and the teacher didn't hear them. The werewolves all shared worried looks but knew there was nothing they could do. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't tell the teacher you're a cheat?"

"My people carry wisdom in their heads, memorized." She growled. "I know things none of you do."

"So you're dumb and crazy." The jock smirked.

"Right time's up." The teacher suddenly said and everyone else sighed in relief. "Skylor, could you collect up everyone's books, please?" She asked and after Morro whispered to her what to do, Skylor started gathering the books up. When she went to grab Chad's book, the bully suddenly grabbed her wrist tightly and pulled her close.

"You're never going to fit in here." He snarled. Being the closest ones to Chad and Skylor, Cole and Zane shared a look and nodded, ready to jump in just in case another fight broke out. Skylor glared into the boy's eyes before pulling her wrist free and continued to collect the books without a peep. She had felt the familiar tingle of her wolf but managed to bury it before she lost control. It was a foreign feeling, to control her wolf, but Skylor had to if she planned on stay...

* * *

"She has to go! By the end of the week!" Uncle Wu shouted after Lloyd and Morro had explained what had happened at school. As soon as they arrived at Lloyd's house his family started to interrogate them. The teens all just either rolled their eyes or sighed in frustration. They knew the adult would most likely want Skylor off their territory but that didn't stop Morro from trying to stop them.

"Preferably before," Misako added. "Wild werewolves don't belong in the human world."

"But she's really trying," Lloyd argued.

"You heard your mother." Uncle Wu glared. "There is no way she can stay in Ninjago!"

"You can't force her to leave," Morro stated.

"We'll see about that! Where is she?" Misako asked.

"Some old caravan she said," Nya replied,

"There's one by the old farm," Misako said to her brother-in-law.

"Alright, children stay here." Uncle Wu ordered as he and Misako left and the teens heard the sound of a car driving off. Morro breathed angrily as he turned to the others, who didn't meet his gaze.

"They can't just-"

"This is our pack's territory." Zane sighed in defeat.

"If they don't want her here then there's nothing she can do." Cole shrugged.

"Why has it always got to be about packs? Doesn't Skylor get a choice?" Morro snapped. "Look, Lloyd, your family has been great to me, I can't argue with them, but you can." He said but everyone stayed quiet. "Come on, guys, she's one of us." He pleaded and they all shared a look...

* * *

Skylor sighed as she sat alone in the abandoned caravan at the edge of the forest, thinking about the day's events. It was incredibly weird being around so many humans all at once and they were not what she was expecting. True most of them were saying some cruel things to her, asserting their dominance over her, but there were a few good humans. That Pixel Morro and the tame werewolves hanged around with seemed friendly to her.

She could tell Harumi and Chad were the alpha students of the school.

Normally, she would challenge them but this wasn't the wild and she had to remember that. The human world was scary and fascinating at the same time. Ever since she had met Morro, her life had changed. Skylor had always been told living like a human was a bad thing, but then she and Morro had snuck away to a small village. She had had ice cream and saw a television for the first time in her life. It was nothing like her father said at all.

That was why Morro had to run away.

Her father and the others in their pack were so angry when they found out what they had done. She was certain Morro never mentioned any of this to the tame werewolves; never mentioned her at all. To be fair, though, the lone wolf had never mentioned them or his life here to her either. She was snapped out of her thoughts, however, when she heard the sound of a car approaching outside. She ran outside just as the car parked and Uncle Wu and Misako stepped out, faces like thunder.

She sniffed and her eyes widened when she realized these were the two adult werewolves she had seen when she had stolen Lloyd's clothes.

"Is this about the clothes I took?" She asked, trying to be as civil as possible.

"No, it's about you." Misako glared. "We want you to go."

"B-but I can't leave!" She exclaimed. "I don't know anyone, anywhere - except my pack, and my father says I'm a traitor." She pleaded and Wu's face softened for a second.

"Don't even think about it, Wu," Misako warned and turned back to Skylor. "Pack up and leave by tonight."

"And if I don't?" Skylor scowled. They all started growling at each other as they all tensed up, ready in case one of them attacked first.

"Stop!" A voice suddenly shouted before it could come to blows and all three turned to see Lloyd and the others running towards them and getting between the two adults and the wild girl.

"You can't drive her away!" Zane panted as they tried to regain their strength. "She won't survive on her own."

"There's no room for any more strays in our pack, especially not Chen's daughter." Misako snarled.

"She doesn't have to be part of our pack!" Cole cried. "She can look after herself."

"She is just a child." Uncle Wu replied.

"She's wild, they'll discover what she is!" Misako added.

"No, they won't!" Promised Jay. "Not with our help."

"How can any of you help when she transforms in front of your classmates?" Misako asked coldly.

"I won't! I can control my wolf." Skylor insisted.

"Yeah, she can! She was at a high school full of humans the entire day and didn't transform once." Kai explained.

"Mom, Uncle Wu... she can do this, she can fit in," Lloyd assured them.

"And where's she going to live? In that old wreck?" She scoffed. "It's been abandoned for years! Is it even waterproof?!"

"This is ridiculous." Uncle Wu agreed.

"To us, not to a wild werewolf." Said Morro.

"That's enough!" Misako shouted. "She needs to be with her own kind!"

"They threw her out!" Nya cried.

"What, so we just leave her in that caravan?"

"Do you want her in the house?" Zane asked.

"Of course not!" Misako shouted before Wu pulled her aside.

"If the cubs think they can handle this, let them try." He suggested and raised his hand to stop her protests. "A week in that rusty old thing and she will be fleeing back to the wild." He stated. Misako glared at each and every werewolf before sighing in defeat.

"Alright then, if you think you're up to this, we're not going to stop you." She said and scowled at the wild werewolf. "One whiff of trouble and you'll be out of our territory quicker than you can bay at the moon, understand?" She snarled and Skylor quickly nodded.

"She is your responsibility now, on your heads, be it." Uncle Wu warned the teens before he and Misako went to the car and waited for the teens so they could give them a lift back home.

"Thank you." Skylor smiled at the teens.

"You're going to have to be careful, Skylor, kids don't usually live by themselves," Cole explained. "If anyone finds out..."

"I know it's going to be difficult." She nodded when the adults suddenly pumped the car horn impatiently and started the engine. The teens just rolled their eyes and refocused their attention on the red-head.

"Sorry about them." Jay smiled.

"I know your parents aren't going to accept me, not yet." She sighed. "But you've all been really kind to me, and I'm going to make this work; I'm going to make you all proud of me." She promised. They all nodded and went back to the car.

"Well, at least thanks to Harumi, you won't starve." Kai laughed when he caught a glimpse of a huge chunk of meat hanging inside the caravan. Skylor just smiled as she watched the teens pile into the car and drive away...

* * *

Later that night, Morro and Lloyd were sat on the bed in Morro's room, talking about things. Misako and Wu had dropped their friends back at their own homes and hadn't said a word to them, except to tell Morro and Lloyd to go to bed. The two boys just hoped they warmed up to the idea of Skylor staying on their territory, at least, until she either got bored or moved on back to the wild.

"Thanks for backing Skylor up." Morro smiled.

"She's one of us." Lloyd sighed. "What else am I supposed to do?"

"I should have told you about her and I should have told her about you, but when you're in one place, even speaking about the other one, it just... seems unreal." He admitted with a said sigh.

"So... what happened out there in the wild?"

"Out in the wild, some bits were great, but some of the stuff was strange, and a bit scary." He shivered at the memory. "Skylor helped me survive, she was the only one I could trust." He admitted. Unbeknownst to the two werewolf teens, Skylor was standing below the window, listening in on the conversation, and smirking.

Everything was going according to plan...


	3. The Kiken Affair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A forensic scientist is about to uncover the werewolf secret, as an archaeological excavation into a werewolf skeleton  
> threatens to reveal everything...

It had been three days since Skylor had arrived at Ninjago and she soon adjusted to life as a human. Misako and Wu had managed to create a history for her and as far as the school knew, her name was Skylor Chen and her parents were travelers who lived in a caravan somewhere just outside the city. They told the school that because her parents traveled around it would be difficult for teachers to get in contact with them. They had been told that the Chen family didn't believe in technology so the only way for the school to contact them was by mail.

But the teens quickly came up with an excuse.

Everyone thought that Lloyd's family was good friends with Skylor's family so if the school needed to send a letter to her parents they would have to send it to the Garmadon household to make sure it didn't get lost in the mail. Lloyd and the boys were all waiting in the hallway when the three girls suddenly came out of the restroom, Skylor having a big smile on her face. She had been made to return Lloyd's clothes and was given some of Nya and Pixel's clothes.

She was now sporting a pale orange, longsleeved jumpsuit with black boots.

Her crimson hair had been tied back into a ponytail and they had given her a spare rucksack with some school supplies they had managed to find.

"School's the best!" She squealed in delight.

"Really?" Asked Cole.

"Yeah, I am loving flushing toilets!" She beamed widely as if she had just discovered a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.

"It doesn't get much more exciting than that." Kai and the other chuckled as they entered their homeroom to find Dareth surrounded by their classmates inspecting a photo on his phone. This wasn't anything out of the ordinary so the group of friends took their seats but still listened in.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Dareth smiled smugly.

"It's probably just a big dog or a massive badger," Maggie suggested as she examined the picture.

"Badger hunting doesn't run in my family."

"Oh, and werewolf hunting does?" Harumi laughed and the pack all froze and pushed through the crowd to see this picture. They were shocked to see a dog-like skull attached to half the top of a human skeleton that lay in a half dug hole.

"As a matter of fact, it does." Dareth glared. "My father was telling me this morning, my ancestor was a werewolf hunter!"

"What, like Van Helsing?" Chad asked and the other students all burst out laughing.

"Laugh all you want!" He hissed. "But my father knows the family history and he's called in a scientist from GPL Tech to prove it." He grinned and all the werewolves in the room paled as Koko suddenly walked in.

"What's going on?" She asked when she saw all the students gathered around Dareth instead of in their seats.

"Dareth thinks his dad found a werewolf skeleton on their property last night." Chad shrugged.

"It's true! That is a werewolf skull and my ancestor killed it!" He insisted, not noticing Skylor growling. Feeling her temper boiling, the red-haired girl quickly stormed from the classroom before did something stupid. The others all shared a look and Kai and Nya chased after her before Koko could stop them. The siblings followed her scent and tracked her down the deserted halls and found her angrily pacing around just outside the restrooms.

They could see the veins in her neck and the back of her hands darken but thankfully that was it.

"Calm down, Skylor," Kai said as they cautiously approached her. "We don't even know it's a werewolf!"

"You saw the photo-phone thingy!"

"Yeah, but that could be anything!" Nya suggested.

"Humans are all the same! People like him nearly wiped us out!" She snarled. "If that's a werewolf skeleton-"

"We need to know but you can't keep ranting about it people are going to start getting suspicious!" Kai warned.

"We'll go up to Dareth's, quietly, and find out," Nya informed her brother and the wild girl. "Just keep calm until we know for sure."

"Fine!" She growled, but she was still mad and brushed them off as she goes to her next class. The siblings just sighed and hoped she would calm down soon. Before they could say or do anything else, however, Lloyd and the others quickly found them and pulled them to the side as more students started to fill the halls.

"Are we going up to check it out?" Morro asked.

"Yeah, at lunchtime." Nya nodded.

"I'll meet you at the back of the school." Assured Pixel and all the werewolves shared a nervous glance.

"No, Pixel, you can't come." Zane sighed and she glared in confusion.

"Look, Skylor's going to be there and you're not supposed to know about us, remember?" Cole added.

"Sorry, Pix," Jay muttered

"Well, what am I supposed to do?" The only human in the group asked.

"You can see where Dareth got the werewolf idea from," Kai instructed just as a teacher appeared and ushered them all to their next classes...

* * *

That afternoon, during lunch, Skylor, Jay, Morro, and Zane went to the dig site at Dareth's house. They jumped over the 10ft wall and found the hole around the back of Dareth's large house. According to Dareth, his mother was doing some gardening and she ended up digging up a skeleton. The hole was surrounded by small floodlights and there was a small black tent nearby with a table full of equipment. They got a closer look they realized that skeleton was not human.

"I told you!" Skylor hissed and angrily. "Out my way." She commanded and knelt down next to the hole. She placed a hand on the grass and her eyes turned yellow as they darted around wildly.

"What's she doing? Jōhō?" Jay asked.

"It's called Jikan, only some wild werewolves can do it," Morro replied, but the other two didn't understand. "It's supposed to connect you to nature in a deeper way than Jōhō, lets you... know things." He explained as Skyor started breathing faster as if she was running a marathon.

"Skylor? Are you OK?" Zane asked but she didn't register his words. While her body was still in the backyard, her mind was elsewhere. She heard the sounds of men shouting, barking, and gunshots echoing through time. She suddenly gasped as she stood up straight and the boys grabbed her in concern.

"H-He was killed during t-transformation." She stuttered out.

"You can see that?" Jay asked in awe.

"Sort of, it's hard to explain." She replied as she started to calm down. "He was a member of Lloyd's bloodline."

"I think Lloyd would know if one of his family was killed." Zane frowned.

"It was a long time ago." She argued. "We have to bury him properly." She stated in determination and bent down to grab the bones but the boys grabbed her before she could do anything. As they tried to pull her away, all four werewolves froze when their enhanced hearing suddenly picked up on the sound of someone in the house moving towards the back door. Knowing they couldn't be seen, all four of them took off running and jumped over the wall and out of sight just before the door opened...

* * *

As soon as they met up with the others, they told Lloyd what had happened at Dareth's and the blonde teen was confused. He confirmed that he had no idea if what Skylor was saying was true so as soon as he and Morro got home after school they confronted Misako and Uncle Wu. They were shocked and disturbed by the news that not only had a werewolf skeleton had been discovered, but a scientist had also been called to investigate and that apparently it belonged to a member of their family.

"Just keep your muzzle out of it, Lloyd!" Uncle Wu exclaimed.

"But there's a scientist there!" Lloyd cried.

"Yes, but scientists don't generally believe in werewolves!" Misako assured.

"But Skylor said that he's related to you." Frowned Morro.

"How does she know that?" Uncle Wu asked.

"Jikan, or something." Lloyd shrugged. "She said that he was killed a really long time ago."

"I wouldn't put too much faith in that." Misako scoffed. "It's like people saying they're psychic, there's no proof."

"So, it's not true?"

"Well, my family has been here for over 400 years..." Uncle Wo frowned in thought. "We will go to the records office in town, see what we can find out."

"Yeah, and you stay away, so no-one can link it to us and keep the others out of it, too," Misako ordered and the two teens nodded reluctantly...

* * *

The next day at school, everyone, minus Pixel, met up in their homeroom to talk, but it was mainly just Skylor shouting at them and the others trying to calm her down before the other students heard her.

"We can't just do nothing!" The wild girl scowled.

"A scientist wouldn't jump to a werewolf," Cole reassured.

"We can't just march in there and steal it." Jay agreed.

"Why not?" She glared.

"Because we'll get caught." Hissed Kai.

"If that skeleton doesn't get us exposed, then getting caught stealing it definitely will!" Lloyd added.

"So you'd abandon your ancestor's soul to save your own skin?"

"What are you on about?" Asked Morro.

"The Rite of Shi!" She snapped. "Don't tell me you've never heard of it? It's one of the most important ceremonies in the werewolf world!"

"What?" Nya frowned in confusion and Skylor growled in frustration.

"When a werewolf dies, the living must guide his soul to the promised pack in the afterlife." She explained. "Without that, he's lost for eternity!"

"Look, I am sorry, Skylor, but we can not put your beliefs above our safety," Zane said firmly.

"As long as those people are out there, we're staying away." Cole agreed and the others all nodded in agreement.

"Is nothing sacred to you tame dogs!?" Skylor roared and quickly moved to the back of the class before she tore their throats out. Just then Miss. Koko entered the classroom with a big smile on her face.

"Right, I have an announcement to make, afternoon classes are canceled." She said and the students erupted into cheers. "Yes, but you're not getting off school, I have an educational treat in store."...

* * *

All the students groaned and shivered as they stood in Dareth's backyard, looking down at the strange skeleton. The reason none of them were having any afternoon classes was because of Miss. Koko organized a visit to the excavation site at Dareth's house. While most of the students were shivering and chatting amongst themselves, the werewolves in the class were staring down at the skeleton with sorrow and slight rage.

"All right, settle down, everyone." Koko requested and everyone became quiet. "Now, we are extremely fortunate that Dr. Terri Kiken here has allowed us access to this fascinating site for the afternoon." She explained and everyone turned to the scientist. Terri Kiken had dark brown afro hair with blue eyes and creamy skin. She was wearing thick, black glasses with a white lab coat over a pale cyan blue shirt that was covered with colorful flowers and light brown pants.

"It's great to see so many young faces." Terri smiled at the class.

"If you're a doctor, aren't you a bit late? He's well dead." Maggie asked and a few of the students snickered.

"I'm not that kind of a doctor I'm a forensic scientist." She replied. "I presume you all know what a forensic scientist does?"

"You use scientific methods to look for evidence and link suspects to the scene of a crime," Zane said.

"Yes, that is correct."

"Are the police involved, then?" Harumi asked, casting a nervous glance at the bones.

"No, not this time," Terri reassured. "I just have a personal interest in unusual skeletons."

"Yeah, Dad called her this morning!" Dareth smiled.

"And, thanks to Dareth's parents, I've been incredibly busy dating these fascinating bones." She said. "I can tell you that this skeleton is approximately 200 years old and unique!"

"Yeah, because it's a werewolf!" Dareth exclaimed and the teen werewolves all shared worried looks.

"Out of all the possible explanations, a werewolf's the least likely!" Cole quickly said.

"It's much more plausible that this was a human with some kind of genetic mutation or even a hoax." Pixel explained. "The Victorian freak shows were full of them, animal bones mixed in with human bones, billed as some kind of monster!"

"Well, yes... and you are?"

"Pixel Borg."

"You've obviously done your research, Pixel and you're quite right to err on the side of caution." Terri smiled and with that, she led the students over to a table with a few bones on it, along with other pieces of equipment.

"What's this?" Jay asked and pointed to a small metal ball on the table.

"It's a musket ball." Terri smiled as she put on some gloves and held it up for all the students to see. "We took it from the skeleton this morning, and curiously it's made of silver."

"And silver bullets kill werewolves!" Dareth squealed.

"That would only prove that whoever shot this creature may have thought it was such a beast." Terri quickly said. "Either way, I think these bones warrant further research, wouldn't you agree, Pixel?" She asked the pale girl, who reluctantly nodded.

"I thought you said scientists didn't believe in werewolves." Kai frowned.

"Fortunately, we don't have to rely on this sort of speculation." She replied. "Once we're back in the lab, I'll be running DNA tests to make sure I know exactly what these bones are." She said and all the werewolves and Pixel felt dread in their stomachs at this news.

"All right, every one into groups pleases, we're going to teach you how to date soil samples," Koko said and everyone split up, with Pixel walking away with the scientist and Zane while the others moved as far away from the students as possible. Lloyd immediately tried to call his mother and uncle, but no one was answering the phone.

"We can't just wait around!" Skylor roared. "What that scientist is doing is sacrilege! Only werewolves should touch those bones!"

"Keep your voice down!" Morro hissed as a few nearby humans gave them some funny looks.

"Sacrilege or not, we can't let them run DNA tests, they'll show it's half-human, half-wolf," Nya whispered in fear.

"What are we going to do?" Cole asked.

"We need a plan," Jay added.

"All the time you're planning instead of acting, those bones are being desecrated!" Skylor hissed.

"If we left this to you, we'd be caught and they'd be examining our DNA!" Kai exclaimed in rage but Skylor just growled and stormed off.

"I'll keep an eye on her." Morro sighed and went after her. While they were all worrying about Skylor and the skeleton, Terri was talking to Pixel and Zane.

"You were very perceptive back there Pixel!" She smiled.

"Oh, thank you! I just find it all so fascinating." Pixel blushed.

"You should think about a career in forensic science," Zane suggested, nervously eyeing the scientist and the bones. While Terri was talking to Zane, Lloyd pulled Pixel away to speak to her

"Pixel, we need your help." He said.

"Dr. Kiken likes you, we need to get those bones out of there before she does," Nya explained. "When the bones are in one place, you'll have to provide a distraction so we can get to them."

"Don't worry." She nodded and walked over to Koko. "Miss. Koko, Dr. Kiken said Zane and I can stay on-site and help." She lied and after a moment of thinking about it, the orange-haired woman nodded, and as soon as she was gone, Pixel went and told the reverse to Dr. Kiken, that Koko said that they could stay. Thankfully they got the same results. Soon it was time for the students to return home, with the exception of Zane and Pixel.

"Are you sure this is OK?" Koko asked the scientist, believing she was the one who said they could stay.

"Of course, it's good to see some eager students, and then we place the bone in a sterile container and once they're all identified and labeled, they're put in those storage cases for safe transportation." She explained and the group panicked internally.

"You people work really fast." Pixel gulped.

"Yes, in an hour or so, they'll be on their way back to the lab."

"In an hour?"

"Once I get the sniff of a mystery, I can't rest until I've solved it," Terri smirked and walked away, not noticing the fearful looks the pack was sharing...

* * *

After all the students and Koko had left, Lloyd and the others doubled back around and waited behind the wall while they waited for the scientists to leave and for a signal from Zane. They had asked how long it would take to excavate the bones and the doctor gave them an estimation of an hour. While they were waiting for the signal Lloyd had finally gotten hold of his family.

"Where have you been?" He asked as he breathed a sigh of relief.

 _ **"In the records office."**_ His mother replied.

"All afternoon?"

 _ **"It takes time!"**_ She exclaimed. _**"There isn't exactly a section for 'Werewolves killed on the turn' and, you'll be glad to know, we are probably related to that skeleton."**_

"What? Really?" He asked in shock.

 _ **"Your great, great, great, great, uncle Okura disappeared about 200 years ago."**_ She replied. _**"There's no death recorded for him."**_

"So, Skylor was right."

_**"We can't be sure, but neither can that scientist."** _

"Well, that's where you're wrong." He sighed. "She's obsessed with werewolves and she's going to analyze the skeleton's DNA!" He cried when Zane suddenly texted Nya, signaling that they had to move now.

"You'll have to stall her, buy us some time," Kai replied and Zane was able to hear it because of his enhanced hearing. There was a shuffling over the phone, and Lloyd heard his uncle's voice.

 _ **"Don't do anything stupid."**_ He warned. _**"We'll be home as soon as we can."**_

"I can't wait, we've got to move now!" He cried and hung up the phone before either adult could say anything...

* * *

Meanwhile, while the others were planning to take the bones from Terri, Morro and Skylor were in the middle of the forest while she collected some herbs. Morro hadn't said anything the entire time and was just watching her pick some sage, for the ceremony she had said.

"Are we burying him or making a casserole?" Morro grinned, trying to lighten the mood.

"It's not a joke, Morro!" She snarled. "A werewolf's soul must be set at peace."

"Just a bit over the top, isn't it?"

"It's what every werewolf believes, or should believe!" She spat. "If you don't want to help, then stay out of my way, because I'm going to do this properly." She told him and before he could say another thing, his phone started ringing. He checked the caller ID and saw it was Lloyd. He cast a look at the red-haired girl before turning away and answering the call.

 _ **"We're getting the bones,"**_ Lloyd said before Morro could even breathe. _**"Are you still with Skylor?"**_

"Yeah."

_**"Is she still upset?"** _

"Oh, yeah," Morro replied as Skylor glared at him, hearing every word.

 _ **"OK, meet me at home, tell her we need shovels and spades for the burial."**_ He instructed. _**"It was a relative, Morro."**_...

* * *

Back in Dareth's backyard, the others were still waiting for an opportunity to steal the bones back. Lloyd had left them a few minutes ago to meet up with Skylor and Morro to get some shovels to give the skeleton a proper burial. However, even though Lloyd did intend for them to rebury the bones, he was just using this as a ploy to keep Skylor away because she was too emotionally invested and could screw things up. While they were waiting Zane and Pixel were in the tent, asking an abundance of questions to Dr. Kiken in order to distract her.

"What is this one?" Pixel asked as she held up a tool.

"That's a bladed trowel," Terri replied.

"And this one?" Zane asked.

"It's a margin trowel."

"You do not really believe it's a werewolf, do you?" Pixel asked. Terri was a scientist so they were hoping werewolf was the last thing on her mind.

"Just because one hasn't been documented thus far, doesn't preclude the possibility that it might be real." Terri smiled and the two teens internally screamed in frustration.

"Yes, but the simplest explanation is usually true even if it sounds unlikely," Zane suggested.

"Exactly, which means it's much more likely this is a genetic disorder." Said Pixel. "There's one, hypertrichosis, that makes humans hairy all over."

"True, but I have never heard of hypertrichosis producing associated skeletal mutation, this is beyond anything I've ever seen before." She replied and frowned at the two teens. "I must say, Pixel, you do seem very keen to prove that this isn't a werewolf, is there something you're not telling me?" She asked.

"No." She quickly said. "Sorry, but is anyone else hungry? I bet you have not eaten since lunchtime." She gulped.

"I can wait." She dismissed

"Well, Ying Yang cafe is just down the road, the best food in the city." Zane offered.

"We can't leave the site unattended."

"Hello!" A voice suddenly called and they all turned to see Koko coming into the tent.

"What brings you up here?" Terri asked.

"I just wanted to thank you for letting us intrude on your work, the students found it fascinating, as did I." She smiled and saw the two teens.

"Oh, we were just going to Ying Yang cafe, actually." Zane quickly said. "Why don't you both come with us?"

"No, I'll stay here with Dr. Kiken." She replied and began shooing the teens out.

"But-"

"Off you go." She insisted and the teens reluctantly left. As soon as they were gone the teacher turned to the scientist. "So, how did Zane and Pixel get on?"

"They're extremely bright, a bit lacking in imagination, though."

"Pixel?" Asked a stunned Koko. "The girl who's been going on about a monster in the forest since she was seven years old?"

"A monster in the forest?" Terri frowned in confusion.

"Yes, Miss Borg is our resident beast hunter."

"She wouldn't hear of such a thing this afternoon," Terri said. "In fact, she's been quite insistent there couldn't be such a thing!"

"How strange! She has been a bit quiet lately." Koko pointed out but shrugged it off. "It's all part of growing up."

"Unless she found what she was looking for, a beast." She hummed in thought and a small smile grew on her face. "Tell me more about her and this monster in the forest."

"Where do I begin?" Koko chuckled and proceeded to tell the scientist everything about Pixel's fantasy, including when she started accusing a few of her own friends of being the said beast in the forest. While the two women were talking, the pack, minus Morro, Lloyd, and Skylor, were standing in the back yard, trying to think of a plan to take the bones.

"We almost had the bones out and then Koko showed up!" Kai hissed.

"Dr. Kiken! Dr. Kiken!" Dareth suddenly shouted as he came running out of the house, carrying a small metal box. The two women came out of the tent and casting the other teens a confused look, but didn't say anything. "Check it out! I found them in my attic!" Dareth exclaimed and opened the box to reveal dozens of small metal balls.

"How fascinating!" Terri said as she picked up one of the balls.

"They're just like the one you pulled from the werewolf!" Dareth squealed as Kai and Nya glared at him; they were all greatly disturbed to find the body of a murdered werewolf and now Dareth was rubbing their faces in it, even if it was unintentional. "I'm telling you, my ancestor killed that thing!"

"Calm down," Cole whispered to the siblings as their breathing increased.

"See! My ancestor was a werewolf hunter!"

"He was a murderer!" Nya snapped and tried to lunge at him, but Jay and Kai held her back.

"Settle down," Koko warned, eyeing each teen cautiously.

"I told you, you can't murder a werewolf, it's a beast." Dareth frowned and that was the straw that broke the camel's back. Kai saw red as he growled and suddenly attacked a shock Dareth. Everyone cried out and immediately tried to separate them. While everyone was grabbing a limb of Kai, Terri had a tight hole on his left wrist and for a brief second, she thought she could see something. She saw his veins darkening under his jacket.

She gasped but before she could get a proper look, Kai was suddenly pulled up and in the confusion, ended up elbowing Pixel right in the face.

The pale teen cried out and clutched her bleeding nose. While Zane and Jay were fussing over Pixel's injury, Terri could only stand there frozen as she stared at the spiky-haired teen in shock and fascination. That was all it took to snap Kai out of his rage and he looked at his human friend in shock and regret as Dareth fearfully crawled away from them. Now that all the chaos had stopped, Kai noticed a small, bleeding cut on the back of his right hand. Nya must have scratched it in the struggle.

"Go home, I will deal with you tomorrow!" Koko shouted and Dareth rushed back to the house.

"That's a nasty cut," Terri said when she saw the cut on Kai's hand and suddenly got an idea. "Better come inside, I've got a first aid kit."

"No, he's fine." Cole quickly said and tried to pull Kai away.

"Nonsense, inside both of you!" Koko glared and ushered Kai and Pixel into the tent with Nya but instructed the others to go home. Both the injured teens took a seat as the two adults treated their wounds. While she was cleaning Kai's wound, Terri couldn't help but give him curious glances, which he didn't notice.

"Sorry about that, it's just a little cut." Kai shrugged.

"Have you and Pixel been friends for long?" She suddenly asked, catching him off guard.

"Yeah, but she's more best friends with Zane and Nya." He replied as she finished cleaning the blood off the wound and put a plaster on him. Pixel watched them closely as she held a piece of tissue to her bloody nose and her eyes widened when she saw Terri sneak the tissue with Kai's blood on it into her pocket, which neither Kai nor Nya saw.

"I'll take Kai straight home," Nya said to their teacher.

"No, I mean we should stay and help pack away." Pixel smiled nervously. "Dr. Kiken's been so kind, letting us stay all day, it's the least we can do!" She explained and after a moment of consideration the scientist nodded...

* * *

The excavation was soon finished and Koko and Terri's assistant was putting the bones inside ski-tubs and then putting them in the trunk of the car. Terri and Pixel were still in the tent, packing up the equipment. While they were this, they failed to notice Cole and the others watching them, hiding in the shrubs, knowing this was the only and last chance they would have to get the bones back before Terri took them. After they had put the bones in the trunk, the teacher and assistant went back into the tent, leaving the trunk open and the bones unattended.

They were about to charge in, but Cole quickly stopped them.

"Wait, where's Lloyd, Morro, and Skylor?" He asked.

"We can't wait!" Jay replied and they all ran over. While Cole, Jay, and Kai went for the boxes, Nya and Zane made their way over to the tent. They kicked away the pegs on the excavation tent so that it collapsed on everyone inside. The four humans inside started panicking and flailing around under the collapsed tent. As soon as the tent fell, the boys grabbed the boxes and ran back towards the forest. Zane and Nya were about to join them but someone from under the tent suddenly grabbed the back of Nya's shirt.

The dark-haired teen desperately tried to escape, knowing that if she made a sound they would recognize her voice and they would be discovered.

Zane was about to help her out of the stranger's grip when he was suddenly stopped as a blur of red suddenly rushed past him. Skylor had come to the rescue and quickly wrestled them off Nya. As soon as the girls were free they and Zane ran away into the forest with the others. Once they were far enough away they all stopped running and put down the tubs of bones. Skylor suddenly threw her shovel down and glared at the others.

She wasn't stupid and she had figured out very quickly that Morro and Lloyd were trying to keep her away.

"Why did you try and keep me away?!" She demanded in a rage.

"We couldn't let you hurt Pixel!" Kai exclaimed.

"Guys don't," Morro warned.

"No Morro, we're not lying anymore, it's only made things worse!" Lloyd shouted and turned to the wild girl. "Pixel helped us get those bones."

"She knows about us? She knows what we are?" She seethed.

"Yeah, she does because we told her," Nya replied.

"You told a human!? You broke the oath!" She screamed.

"We didn't take an oath! That's your pack and Pixel is part of ours!" Zane glared, not liking the way Skylor was talking about his girlfriend.

"Humans can't be in a pack! They're not to be trusted!"

"She's our friend!" Cole shouted. "She helped us get the bones, which is what you wanted."

"We care about her, even if you don't." Jay frowned, but before anyone could say anything else, Kai's phone suddenly beeped, telling him that he had received a text message. He looked at his phone and saw it was a text from Pixel. He frowned in confusion, wondering why she was texting him, but when he opened the messaged he gasped at what it said.

"What's wrong?" Lloyd asked.

"Dr. Kiken's got my DNA!"...

* * *

Back at the excavation site, the four humans had finally managed to escape from under the tent. They knew someone had deliberately knocked the tent over because Terri's assistant insisted that he had grabbed someone, but they had gotten out of his grip and escaped. As soon as they had gotten out from under the collapsed tent Terri and her assistant ran over to the still open trunk.

"The bones are gone!" Her assistant cried when they saw the boxes were missing.

"The bones don't matter anymore, we have something better." She said darkly as she looked to Pixel, who was being checked over by Koko. After a few minutes, the teacher finally left and the scientist marched over to the smart teen.

"Hello, Dr. Kiken." Pixel smiled kindly when she saw the scientist walking over to them.

"You don't fool me, Pixel Borg." She said coldly. "For some reason, you don't want me to know the truth about those bones and I think it's something to do with that little friend of yours." She explained. "I'm right, aren't I?"

"I don't know what you are talking about." Pixel replied calmly.

"Maybe his DNA will provide the answer." She smirked and held up the bloody tissue with a pair of tweezers, but Pixel didn't look a little bit fazed by this. "Pack up everything, meet me at the lab." She told her assistant as she watched the pale teen walk away, not seeing the small grin on Pixel's face...

* * *

"It's all my fault!" Kai cried as he paced around in a panic. It had been nearly twenty minutes since they had learned that the scientist had taken Kai's DNA and they were all panicking and trying to come up with a plan, but they all knew it was hopeless now. "Before, all she could find was a new species, and now she can link me, a living werewolf, to that skeleton!"

"It's not just you, it'll expose us all!" Lloyd cried.

"Let's just think about this for a second." Morro tried to soothe.

"No! We're finished!" Nya screamed.

"No, you're not." A voice suddenly said and they all turned to see Pixel walking over to them with a satisfied and proud smile on her pale face. Before anyone could ask what she was talking about, the only human in the group simply lifted up a small plastic bag with a bloody tissue inside.

"Is that what I think it is?" Skylor asked in shock.

"Yes, you won't be seeing Dr. Kiken again." She smiled and tossed the bag to a stunned Kai.

"Why? What's to stop her from coming back?" Zane asked.

"The DNA results." She replied. "When the tent collapsed, I swapped Nya's sample with mine, she just thought it was her assistant being over-protective." She laughed at the memory. "The worst thing she'll find is human DNA."

"Pix, that's brilliant!" Cole smiled and they all, with the exception of Skylor, hugged the human and thanked her over and over again. While Pixel was getting prised, Lloyd's green eyes turned to the boxes with the bones, then to Skylor and they shared a nod. It was time to put great, great, great, great Uncle Okura Garmadon to rest...

* * *

That night, with Skylor leading, Lloyd, his family, and his friends, including Pixel, all performed the Rite of Shi to lay Okura Garmadon to rest. They had found a spot in the forest near Lloyd's house and hand spent the rest of the day digging a 10ft deep hole to put the old bones in, hoping they wouldn't be dug up again. After they had buried the bones, Skylor placed the herbs on the grave and they all gathered in a circle. Pixel was standing off to the side instead.

She thought that this was a werewolf thing only and she shouldn't interfere.

That is until Skylor turned to her and smiled as she extended a hand out to the human, surprising everyone. Pixel was understandably confused at first but smiled and joined the circle, standing between Skylor and Zane. Skylor still wasn't happy about a human knowing the secret but she swallowed her pride and knew she had to accept that Pixel was apart of Lloyd's pack. But she made a silent promise to watch the human girl very closely.

"May these bones be blessed and guide this spirit to where we hunt proudly for eternity." The wild girl chanted and they all lifted their heads up to the starry night sky and howled into the darkness...


	4. Total Eclipse of the Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lunar eclipse gives the werewolves a chance to experience something new, and Pixel and Kai reveal a hidden talent...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING!
> 
> This chapter will include malexmale content.
> 
> READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!

It had been no less than two weeks since the skeleton had been discovered in Dareth's backyard and thankfully Dr. Terri Kiken had yet to return, likely put off by the human DNA she had tested, not knowing it was really Pixel's. Word had gotten out that the bones had been stolen but after a few days the students had all found something else to gossip about. As the bell rang for lunch and the halls flooded with students, Lloyd and Zane found Cole, Pixel, and Nya staring at one of the posters for the upcoming concert.

With an eclipse only days away, the town had decided to put together an event to celebrate.

The pack was also celebrating, but for a slightly different reason from all the humans at their school. During lunar eclipses, all werewolves would get locked in human form, but with all their wolf-like abilities would be enhanced as if it was a full moon. The poster on the school noticeboard was searching for auditions for a good singer to play the fair's, Lunar King or Queen, depending on who won the auditions.

"Hey Pixel, I didn't know you signed up for the concert." Cole smiled, seeing the pale girl's name on the signup sheet.

"Yes well, I would not normally do it but I figured I would step out of my comfort zone for once." She smiled.

"Search for the Lunar King or Queen?" Lloyd read out loud.

"Search for the Loser King or Queen more like." Harumi snickered as she and her gang of girls shoved past them, only for the lead cheerleader to screech to a sudden halt in the middle of the hallway.

"What are you doing?" Maggie cried out.

"Justin Baker." She sighed dreamily and the girls instantly followed her gaze to the teenage boy who was currently sticking up posters for the concert. Justin Baker was a boy in their grade of average built and height. He had wavy black hair with cyan streaks, peach skin, and dark eyes. For attire, he wore a yellow vest with a hoodie, a star symbol on the left side, and dark yellow shoulders and rim and tan shoes with dark yellow cuffs.

Justin was well-known for being a, somewhat, talented singer and that made him an instant hit with all the girls of the city.

"Hi, Justin." Harumi smiled as she walked up to the boy and gestured to the poser. "Pathetic isn't it?"

"No, we're supporting the Lunar King or Queen this year," Justin replied. "Should be cool."

"We were just about to put our names down, right girls?" Harumi smiled and started writing her group's names down.

"Didn't you just say the Lunar Fair's pathetic?" Nya frowned.

"I never said that." Harumi snarled. "I said it was "PathÃtique"."

"Shh!" Justin suddenly said and everyone shut up. Almost instantly, they could hear distant singing coming down the hall that led to the music rooms. It sounded like an angel, especially to the men.

_**"There's a saying old, says that love is blind** _

_**Still, we're often told, seek and ye shall find** _

_**So I'm going to seek a certain lad I've had in mind"** _

"Who is that?" Justin asked, barely over a whisper as he and a large group of people began to follow the voice. They followed the voice all the way to the art supply room, where Kai was cleaning, singing along to the music from his ear pods.

_**"Looking everywhere, haven't found him yet** _

_**He's the big affair I cannot forget** _

_**The only man, I ever think of with regret"** _

He suddenly turned around and cried out in fright, dropping the box of paintbrushes in the process, at the sight of the crowd staring at him from the door, all of them slacked jawed.

"Whoa." Was all Justin could say. "Who's that?"

"My brother, Kai Smith." Nya grinned...

* * *

As they waited for their friends to meet them outside, Skylor glared at the poster for the concert. Morro awkwardly watched as the wild girl stared at the poster in silence, hoping that Lloyd or any of their friends would show up soon and save him.

"Humans celebrate the eclipse as well?" Skylor suddenly asked, scaring the lone wolf to death.

"Y-Yeah, it's um... a big party in town with music, dancing, and food," Morro explained.

"Too bad we won't be able to attend." She hummed in thought, more to herself than the young male.

"What do you mean?"

"You have never experienced an eclipse before, have you?"

"No, is that a problem? Isn't like what happens with the full moon?" He asked in confusion.

"No, during the lunar eclipse, our wolf abilities will get the same increase in strength as they do during the full moon but we will be locked in our human forms until after the moon reappears; you'll be a wolf on the inside, human on the outside with all your emotions, thoughts and everything." She smiled. "I was hoping you'd spend it in the forest with me."

"I don't think Lloyd's family would allow that, you know how worried they are about Lloyd right now." Morro sighed before deciding to go and look for his friends, with Skylor following close behind...

* * *

"For the last time, I'm not doing it!" Kai growled when Justin tried to sign him up for the concert auditions. When Morro and Skylor found their friends, they were surprised with they found they surround by a crowd of people next to the concert signup sheet.

"Why not?" The singer asked in disbelief. "You have an amazing voice, I know you'd get it in a heartbeat; if it's just stage fright then don't worry, you'd blow them all away."

"It's not that." He quickly said. "It's just me and my family have something going on that night and we can't change it, I'm sorry."

"Oh well, it's not the end of the world," Harumi smirked.

"Yeah, they'll be other concerts and there are more talented people in this school," Maggie added. Pixel glared at the two mean girls but held her tongue; even though she considered Kai her friend, a part of her hoped the hothead didn't rise to their taunts. It wasn't because of the eclipse, however, when she heard Kai singing she knew there was no way she'd even pass the auditions. Kai also wanted to smack that smug grin off the cheerleader's face but restrained himself.

The spiky-haired teen calmly and quietly grabbed his bag and his sister and walked away, his friends trailing behind him...

* * *

Before heading back to their homes, the gang of friends had to go to Lloyd's home. With the exception of Skylor, because Wu and Misako refused point-blank to have her in their house. Due to the nature of the eclipse, Misako decided it would be best to recreate some of that special potion she had made for the werewolf teens during their exams when Lloyd and Nya's first transformation. The teens had offered Skylor some, but she refused.

While the others were hanging out in the family room, Pixel was in the kitchen, watching as Wu mixed the different ingredients in a small, boiling pot.

"So what exactly does this potion do?" The human asked.

"It is a special medicine for if they feel stressed and it will repress the eclipse symptoms temporarily; I have different kind potions for different occasions." He explained and gestured to a few other vials. "I have potions for stress, anger, sadness, and many others."

"So you have one for every situation?"

"Yes, oh here is one my brother and I had to use regularly." He smiled and picked up a small bottom with brown leather-wrapped around it and handed it to the human to examine. "This is an old werewolf concoction known as Osore, and it is intended to work as a fear inhibitor, a way to overcome one own limits; our people would take it during events such as weddings, parties or other occasions."

"Really."

"Indeed, it is mostly wild werewolves that know these kinds of recipes but this has been passed down in our family for generations."

Suddenly there was a crash from the living, followed by Jay's frantic panicking. Wu growled in frustration and went to see the damage, leaving Pixel alone in the kitchen. After forcing the teens to clean up the mess they had made and handing the werewolves the vials, Wu shooed them out of the house, sent Lloyd and Morro upstairs, and went to clean up the kitchen, but he soon realized that a bottle was missing. He shrugged it off, however, thinking one of the teens had taken an extra bottle for Skylor...

* * *

The next day at school, the principal had organized the auctions for the concert's Lunar King or Queen. Even though he wasn't auditioning, Kai still went with the others to give Pixel some moral support. After Justin and his band finished setting up on the stage, the singer gave the principal the thumbs up and the principal cleared his throat and the students went silent. Pixel fidgeted as she stood in line next to the stage.

"Alright students, I know that the song for the concert is 'Running With The Wolves' but for the auditions today, we will be performing Amy Winehouse's 'There Is No Greater Love'." He explained as the students who were auditioning examined the lyrics. Pixel tried desperately to swallow the lump in her throat as she memorized every word on the sheet in front of her. But she was growing more nervous by the second.

"Ok, now if there are no questions, we will begin," He waited for a few seconds but no one spoke. "Very well, Pixel Borg, you're up." He called and Pixel stepped up onto the stage. Everyone watched in anticipation as the band started up.

_**"There is no greater love,** _

_**Than what I feel for you,** _

_**No sweeter song,** _

_**No heart so true,"** _

Everyone present flinched as Pixel sang the song out of tune, some even started snickering.

_**"There is no greater thrill,** _

_**Than what you bring to me,** _

_**No sweeter song,** _

_**Than what you sing, sing to me,"** _

As the laughter grew, Pixel looked around and was shocked when she saw Skylor laughing with the other students. Only Zane and the rest of their friends were the only ones who weren't laughing. Feeling the tears building in her eyes she quickly bolt from the stage and out of the room. Zane frowned at the thought of everyone laughing until he heard what Harumi said next.

"She's gonna be sick." The lead cheerleader snickered.

"She's not." Maggie laughed. Zane was about to say something to the two divas when he heard Skylor still laughing until Nya suddenly reached over and slapped her in the back of the head.

"OW! What was that for?!" She glared.

"You don't laugh at your friends like that!"

"But it was really funny! I couldn't help it!" She defended.

"Yeah, it was only a laugh," Harumi added.

"You saw her!" Kai growled. "She made a fool of herself and you've all just made it worse! Do you have any idea what that must feel like?!" He asked angrily and Skylor had the decency to looked to the floor, ashamed.

"I didn't realize it," She said. "I'm sorry."

"It's not me you should be apologizing to."...

* * *

After she had run out of the audience, Pixel sat on the stones steps behind the school with her knees tucked into her chest as she loudly sobbed. She knew she couldn't do it, not like the others. She couldn't sing like Kai and she promised herself that she wasn't going to do it again. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the bottle of Osore she had taken from Lloyd's house. She didn't know what she had taken it and now she had no idea what to do with it.

She was so emotional that she failed to hear the doors behind her open and someone approaching her.

"Hiya." Skylor suddenly said, scaring Pixel to death.

"Skylor, you can not just jump out at people like that!" She exclaimed as she tried to wipe the tears away.

"Really?" She frowned. "There are so many rules here."

"What do you want?"

"I came to... to say sorry." She forced out, not sure if she meant it or not.

"Well, that is very nice of you." Pixel sighed as she looked back at the bottle in her hands. Skylor followed her gaze and her eyes widened when she saw the bottle of Osore.

"Is... is that Osore?" She glared, trying to remain calm. Osore was only to be given to members of the pack, not humans, but she quickly reminded herself that Pixel was a part of Lloyd's pack and she had to accept that, even if it was still strange to her.

"Yes, I am sorry I took it from Lloyd's but I just... I don't know!" She cried as she buried her face in her hands. Skylor thought for a moment and gasped when she suddenly got an idea on how to properly make it up to Pixel.

"Look, if you want to sing with Baker, that can help." She sighed.

"How can it help?" Pixel sniffed as she looked up at the wild girl.

"If I tell you, you've got to swear to keep it a secret." She warned and Pixel nodded. "Osore is made by the healers in our pack, it brings out the inner you, the strong you, I was given a drop before my first rite of passage." She explained.

"What's it made of?" Pixel frowned as she examined the bottle.

"I can't tell you." Skylor sighed. "In fact, it's not supposed to be given anyone outside the pack, but there's another audition at school today and you only need a drop or two." She explained and Pixel looked back to the bottle. She did want to win at that audition and be part of the fair as the Lunar Queen, but she wouldn't take shortcuts.

"Thank you, Skylor, but I'm not singing anymore." She mumbled as she put the bottle back in her pocket and wet back into the school, leaving a confused and annoyed Skylor alone on the steps...

* * *

Morro sighed as he scrolled through a webpage on eclipses. After the first round of audions had ended he had quickly made his way to the library to do some of his own last-minute research. He had asked the others what they were doing for the eclipse and as usual, Jay was staying at his parents, Nya was spending it with Lloyd's family and the others were staying over at Zane's. Unlike a full moon, however, Dr. Julien was locking his den up again for the night so they couldn't go out into the forest.

Skylor was the only werewolf that was spending the eclipse alone in the forest.

Jay and Zane had both offered her a place at theirs for the night but she had quickly turned them down. Before she had even told him what would happen Morro had managed to convince Wu and Misako to let him spend the eclipse at Zane's, but now he was starting to regret it.

"Why are you looking up lunar eclipse?" A voice suddenly asked and Morro turned to see Lloyd standing behind him.

"Do you know what happens to us during it?" He asked.

"Yeah, the wolf becomes human." He shrugged as he sat down next to his foster brother.

"The way Skylor's been going on, it's more superhuman or super wolf."

"Super idiot more like." He scoffed. "On the last full moon eclipse, Nya and I had to watch the guys give piggyback rides around the house, wondering who the cubs were."

"But you're not a cub anymore, you don't have to babysit anyone." Said the lone wolf. "I was thinking me, you, and the others could meet up with Skylor and get the whole experience!"

"I'd love to, Morro, but I take it that Skylor forgot to tell you that your eyes stay yellow?" Lloyd asked and he groaned, Skylor had forgotten to mention that tiny little detail. "It's not a good look and plus, Mom and Uncle Wu would never allow it so just forget about it, Morro." He said before walking away...

* * *

Soon they were calling for the next lot of auditions to come in and Pixel was standing in the hallway, debating whether to go into the audition again or not. She was about to go in when she suddenly was pushed aside into the wall. She looked up and internally groaned when she saw it was just Harumi and her gang of cheerleaders coming to hassle her again.

"Oh, look, it's Scaredy Spice!" Maggie cackled.

"Ah, no hard feelings, Pixel." Harumi mocked comfort. "Some people have it, and others don't." She laughed and they all went into the gymnasium, leaving a trembling Pixel alone in the hallway. The smart girl was about to turn and run away when a hand on her shoulder stopped her. She looked up and saw a furious Skylor glaring down at her. The wild girl had heard everyone and was livid. She wanted to drag Harumi and her gang back here and teach them a lesson they would not soon forget.

But she had promised Morro she would control her temper better and Pixel needed her more than petty revenge.

"Are you going to let them win?" She asked the human and pulled the bottle out of Pixel's pocket. "One drop of this and you're the Lunar Queen." She offered.

Without another word, she handed the bottle to Pixel and went into the gymnasium, and took her seat with the rest of their friends. Harumi and her cheerleaders were all singing together on stage and Skylor glared at them in disgust. As the cheerleaders were wrapping their performance, the doors suddenly opened and Skylor smiled when she saw Pixel step in. The human confidently walked over and stood in line, waiting for her chance.

Her jade green eyes caught Skylor's and she nodded to the red-head, signally she had done what Skylor had suggested and taken the potion.

"Pixel's going to audition again!" Skylor whispered to the others.

"What? Why?" Zane asked in confusion, remembering how upset his girlfriend was before.

"I apologized as you said and I talked her into it." She shrugged as Pixel stepped onto the stage, surprising everyone present. Harumi glared at her, but she chose to ignore the dive. She took a deep breath and told herself that she could do this. Pixel Borg could do it! She was going to show them all who was boss!

_**"There is no greater love,** _

_**Than what I feel for you,** _

_**No sweeter song,** _

_**No heart so true,"** _

Everyone present gasped and watched in saw as Pixel sang the song almost perfectly better than anyone who had come on so far. Even Harumi was in shock as she listened to Pixel's voice.

_**"There is no greater thrill,** _

_**Than what you bring to me,** _

_**No sweeter song,** _

_**Than what you sing, sing to me,"** _

As soon as Pixel had finished singing and the music stopped the whole crowd erupted into loud cheers and applause. All but Harumi and her friends, who were glaring daggers at the pale girl's head. The auditions soon finished up and the members of the audience had to wait outside the gymnasium while the principal and Justin were talking to the contestants, deciding who would be the Lunar King or Lunar Queen. Suddenly Pixel burst through the doors and hugged Skylor tightly, startling the wild girl.

"I could not have done it without you!" She squealed and Skylor could only smile awkwardly. "I can not believe it! Not only am I the Lunar Queen, but the principle made Harumi and her gang my backing singers!"

"They must be so mad!" Cole chuckled.

"I know! I have got to go, rehearsals start in an hour." She beamed and quickly ran back into the gymnasium.

"Pixel totally nailed it!" Kai happily exclaimed.

"She was amazing." Jay nodded.

"Your pep talks must be pretty good." Lloyd smiled at Skylor.

"So what exactly did you say to her?" Asked Morro.

"Yeah, because she was like a completely different person up there!" Nya frowned but Skylor just shrugged.

"Nothing much."...

* * *

Harumi was panicking after the auditions as she paced around the empty women's restrooms. This must have been a very bad dream. Harumi Jade being a backing singer to Pixel Borg! In what kind of evil universe could that ever happen? Pixel can't sing, she can't dance, she doesn't even look good! Harumi was hoping Pixel would chicken out at the fair. Everyone saw how she ran out at the first audition. This suddenly gave her an idea and she ran out just as Pixel walked in.

She quickly checked to make sure the restroom was empty before locking herself in a stall, not noticing Nya walking in.

The female werewolf had just come in here to touch up her makeup. She froze when she heard Pixel open a bottle and a faintly familiar scent filled the air. Glancing around, Nya silently snuck into a stall next to the locked one. She climbed onto the toilet and peeked over the edge and her eyes widened when she saw Pixel drinking one of Wu's elixirs. As soon as Pixel saw her spying on her, however, she suddenly lurched forward as she nearly choked on the drink.

"What are you doing?!" She coughed as she ran out of the stall.

"What are YOU doing?!" Nya argued as she chased her out the stalls "What is that stuff?"

"None of your business, that's what!" Pixel hissed only to cry out when Nya suddenly snatched the bottle away from her. She quickly sniffed the bottle and gasped.

"Is that Osore?!" She screamed. "You stole this from Lloyd's!"

"Skylor let me keep it." She admitted. "She said it brings out your inner strength."

"Why would you do that!?"

"What? It worked, didn't it?" She glared. "You saw me out there!"

"Yeah, but it's for werewolves!" She warned. "You don't know what it'll do to you!"

"It is not doing anything except letting me sing, what is your problem?!"

"I'm just worried about you."

"Well, why don't you stop worrying about me, and try being happy for me?" Pixel snapped before she grabbed the bottle back and stormed away. Nya growled in frustration as she chased after her. She followed the human into the cafeteria and saw her far in the lunch queue. Knowing better than to pick a fight in the middle of the crowded area, she turned her attention to her friends at their regular table. She marched over and saw Skylor poking at her school dinner with her folk as if it was alien.

"What were you thinking?" She snarled at Skylor.

"What?" The wild girl asked in confusion.

"Giving Pixel Osore!" She exclaimed and the boys looked back and forth between the girls in horror. "Do you even know what that can do to humans?!"

"I'm not trying to hurt her, I'm trying to help her!" Defended Skylor. "I thought that's what you wanted!"

"We just told you to apologize," Lloyd said.

"I did, so what's the problem?!"

"Pixel doesn't need that help." Zane frowned. "Because you haven't helped her face her fear, you've just given her an easy way out."

"Fine, I'll go and get it off her, OK? See if that makes her happy!" Skylor snapped and walked over to the human. The pack watched as the two girls talk but because it was so noisy in the cafeteria. They didn't need to hear what was being said to tell what was happening, judging by the look on Pixel's face. A few moments later, their human friend was suddenly charging towards their table.

"Stop interfering, Nya!" She screeched at them. "Skylor did not make me take Osore, I chose to!"

"Well, it's a terrible choice!" Nya argued.

"It's mine to make! I'm a big girl and I can look after myself, thanks!" She spat and stormed off in a rage...

* * *

Soon it was the day of the eclipse and Justin and his band was going through one last rehearsal with Pixel and the backing singers. Pixel hadn't said a word to Zane or the others since they tried to stop her from taking Osore and it was killing Zane. While everyone was off doing their own thing Morro had to tell Skylor that he couldn't spend the eclipse with her in the forest because Misako and Wu wouldn't allow it. He had to spend it at Zane's.

"They're not your parents!" She snapped after he had told her.

"I'm under their roof." He replied.

"Exactly, during an eclipse!" She cried as if he had just told her he had committed a murder. "You can't allow yourself to be locked away!"

"Who's being locked away?" Cole suddenly asked as he and Kai walked over to them.

"Us, tonight." Sighed Morro.

"So?" Kai shrugged.

"Can you not feel it?" She asked in shock. "If there's one night when you truly understand what it means to be a werewolf, tonight is it! If you don't experience that, you never get to experience who you really are." She glared at the boys before walking away in a huff.

"Could she be any more patronizing?" Cole growled.

"She's got a point," Kai argued. "If the pull is this strong already, imagine what's it going to be like tonight?" He asked. He had gotten better with being locked up in wolf form but this would be his and the other teens' first eclipse since getting their powers.

"I get it, but there's no way Dr. Julien or Zane are going to let us run wild with Skylor." Cole sighed and Morro gasped as he was hit with a sudden idea.

"Unless she's the reason they let us out."...

* * *

That night, back at Dr. Julien's house, Cole and Kai were already clowning around and Cole was giving Kai piggyback rides around the house while Zane, his father, and Morro just watched in amusement. While the boys were doing this, Cole's nose suddenly caught the scent of his mysterious one nightstand. That scent had been bothering him for months because for some reason he couldn't find out who it belonged to. Before he could think anymore Kai jumped off his back and followed the others down to the basement.

Cole decided he would find out where the scent came from later and followed the others.

"Is that what we do during the eclipse?" Morro chuckled as he took a seat on the chewed up couch. "Run around the house giving piggy-back rides?"

"Yeah, it's fun!" Kai giggled, starting to feel buzzing with energy.

"Skylor's going to the fair though." Cole casually claimed, much to Dr. Julien and Zane's alarm. "How much fun would that be?

"What?" Dr. Julien cried. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"You didn't ask and since she's not part of our pack." Kai shrugged, trying to hide a smirk.

"What do we do?" Zane asked his dad.

"What can we do?"

"We could try and find her," Morro suggested.

"Then once the eclipse starts, we could keep her up in the forest and away from the fair," Cole added. The old man was about to respond when they all went stiff and a sudden feeling. Their eyes went yellow and their veins in their hands and necks darkened. It was starting. Thinking quickly, Dr. Julien bolted upstairs to the kitchen with the boys following close behind. He pulled out some sunglasses, scarves, and gloves.

"Remember, you're not out there to have fun, just get Skylor away from that fair and if you do encounter any humans, put these on, there's a pair for Skylor too." He explained as he handed Cole, Kai, and Morro the sunglasses, scarfs and gloves, and a spare set for Skylor.

"Don't worry, we'll take care of it," Cole promised.

"Remember, the eclipse will make your behavior... unpredictable!" Zane warned. They all nodded and ran out into the night...

* * *

Meanwhile, at the fair, nearly half the city had arrived to take part. The fair was taking place in a large field right next to the forest. It was a cold, windy night but everyone was enjoying the festivities too much to notice. While the mayor was standing on the stage to address the crowd before the band started playing, Pixel was getting ready backstage. She knew that the others had a perfectly good reason for not turning up, but she still wished they could.

Pixel felt terrible for shouting and ignoring them for the last couple of days and promised herself that tomorrow she would apologize and return the potion.

It wasn't like she would need it then. The bottle was still sitting in her purse, ready for her to use to sing, but Pixel decided she wouldn't use it tonight and prove to everyone she could do this on her own. Soon she was ready to perform. Her hair and face were all made up and she was wearing a long, sparkly midnight blue with a silver sash that had a glittery moon and star designs stitched into in. As she was getting ready, Harmui and Maggie suddenly walked in.

They were both wearing matching short black sparkling dresses with lots of makeup.

"Have you seen how many people are out there?" Harumi smiled as they approached the pale girl.

"All here to see us, you're not nervous, are you, Pixel?" Maggie asked in fake concern.

"Don't worry, you've got a lot better since your first audition; when you were nearly sick in front of everyone." Harumi reminded her and Pixel swallowed nervously.

"Imagine how embarrassing that would be if it happened tonight, see ya later!" Maggie and Harumi laughed as they walked away, thinking their mission was a complete success. On trembling legs, Pixel walked to the curtain that led out to the stage just as the Mayor was finishing off her speech.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the eclipse is upon us now!" She exclaimed as the audience awed loudly and looked up at the moon. Pixel's eyes widened when she realized how many people were here to watch her. "In one hour, we will all make as much noise as we can to scare the eclipse away! Can we do that?!" She asked and the whole audience erupted into cheers, scaring Pixel. She looked to her purse and any thoughts of doing this without support.

Without hesitation, she pulled the bottle of Osore and didn't think as she drank the entire bottle.

As soon as she put the small, empty bottle down, however, she gasped as her senses were suddenly dialed to eleven. Her head started spinning and she stumbled into the fair outside disorientated. All the noise, lights, and smells were making her head spun around, making her dizzy. People who passed her thought she was just a drunk teenager and paid her no mind. Pixel cried in pain as she finally sat alone on a bench and curled up, clutching her stomach.

She didn't know what was happening.

She could hear everyone and she could smell everything. She shouldn't have drunk all of the Osore. She had to get out of here but her senses were too overloaded and her body ached too much to even stand up from the bench. For a second she thought about calling a doctor. She was scared that the potion had done something to her genes and she was going to wolf out. However, she quickly dismissed that idea, knowing that were was nothing a doctor could do and if she was going to transform like Zane then she couldn't risk her friends' secret.

She had to do something though, her pulse was through the roof.

She didn't even know what was in that Osore. Skylor or the others would not tell her. All she knew was that she had to be sick. Gathering up the nerve, Pixel shoved her fingers down her throat, and seconds later she was spilling the contents of her stomach all over the floor...

* * *

Skylor groaned in frustration as her yellow eyes darted around the forest, looking for Morro. He said he would try to get away from that cage with the tame werewolves but she didn't know if he had managed to escape or not. She wasn't far from the city and she could hear the noise from the fair and the smell of food. She knew the eclipse would change her behavior and if she didn't move soon she would lose control and run towards the smell of food.

She was about to leave when she suddenly heard the sound of running footsteps and turned to see Morro coming towards her.

"You came!" She beamed as soon as she saw him.

"You didn't actually think we'd let ourselves get locked up, did you?" He laughed and before she could ask what he meant, Cole and Kai appeared from the trees.

"Oh, hi." She muttered, her smile quickly dropping.

"Hi," Cole replied and an awkward silence descended on the four teens until Morro suddenly released a loud, happy howl. The others smiled at each other and all tension vanished as they all howled with him and the four teens took off running into the forests. Wolves in human bodies. The cold, nightly forest was a blur of greens and dark browns flash passed them as they dashed through the dark and twisted forest trees and fallen autumn leaves on human legs.

The wind flowed through their clothes and hair as they ran through the forest.

Kai suddenly jumped onto a large rock and turned around to face the others, his yellow eyes burning with adrenaline.

"I'm the leader of the pack!" He laughed and let out an excited, animalistic growl, playfully challenging them. Morro smirked cockily and he and the others charged forward and tackled Kai into a pile of leaves. They all round around on the wet ground, having a play and rough and tumble together. While Morro and Skylor were running around, chasing each other, Cole and Kai were rolling around in the leaves, wrestling with each other as they laughed.

Suddenly Cole pinned the small boy under him.

He sat on Kai's waist, his knees dug deep in the ground as he pinned him to the ground and held the spikey-haired wrists at either side of his head. They both froze in the position as they stared into each other's yellow eyes. For some reason, Cole felt his heartbeat increase and sweat roll down his forehead as if he had just run five marathons. Kai wasn't much better. A faint rosy blush spread across his cheeks as he felt like he was standing in the sun.

Apart of him wanted to throw Cole off him and run a mile, but another part of him, a part that scared him slightly, wanted them to stay like this forever.

His eyes widened slightly as Cole's head slowly started lowering towards his, almost as if the raven-haired boy was in a daze. Before anything could happen, however, Skylor suddenly pushed Morro into them, knocking Cole off Kai and into the ground. Skylor laughed and howled in victory at winning her and Morro's rough and tumble. Cole and Kai shared a look but they quickly looked away as they stood up and brush all the leaves and dirt off.

Skylor looked at the dark moon and growled.

"The eclipse is almost over, I want to hear Pixel sing!" She whined.

"W-We can't go to the fair." Cole stuttered.

"We don't have to," She smirked as she knelt down and used Jōhō to find Pixel. She frowned when she couldn't find Pixel anywhere near the stage so she began looking around the rest of the fair. After a few seconds, she found Pixel shaking and trembling on a park bench just outside the festival. She gasped and stood up in alarm when she saw how much pain the human was in.

"What's wrong?" Kai asked.

"Pixel is in trouble! Come on!" She cried and made to run to the city, but Morro grabbed her arm.

"But the eclipse is almost over! We'll be wolves again!" He cried.

"Then we'll have to be quick," Cole replied.

"Here, put these on!" Kai ordered and passed out the sunglasses, scarves, and gloves and they all ran to the city...

* * *

"It's time for the incantation to scare away the wolves or the moon may never return!" The Mayor shouted to the crowd as the band got ready to play. They had tried looking for Pixel but it was like she had vanished into thin air. They had all looked everywhere and were wondering what they were going to do. The band couldn't do the song without her. They had considered canceling the show until Harumi suddenly showed up and said she had learned the song.

It wasn't like they had a better idea so they had to let her sing instead of Pixel.

While Harumi was preparing to go on stage Pixel was still curled up on the park bench, shivering from the cold and fright. Since she had made herself vomit up the potion her symptoms had vanished but her stage fright had returned. She couldn't sing now, not without the potion. She snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of running feet and looked up to see Cole, Kai, Morro, and Skylor running towards her. They were wearing sunglasses, scarves, and gloved, hiding the signs that they weren't human.

She frowned in confusion as they formed some kind of protective circle around her.

She thought they were supposed to be locked up in their dens.

"Pix, what's wrong?" Cole calmly asked when he saw the state she was in.

"It's that Osore!" She cried.

"Why? How much did you have?" Kai asked.

"All of it!"

"What?!" Skylor exclaimed. "I told you one drop! It's not like human medicine!"

"And we told you that stuff was dangerous!" Morro snapped.

"I... I sicked it back up." She gagged. "I can't go on that stage!"

"Yes, you can!" Cole tried to encourage.

"Why can't you understand?! I get stage fright!"

"Oh, shut the fuck up, Pix!" Kai suddenly shouted. "Stop making pathetic excuses! I know you, Pixel Borg! 'Oh poor me, the little girl no-one understands.'" He mocked, much to everyone's shock.

"Kai!" Morro cried, but the brunette ignored him as he removed his sunglasses, revealing his wolf eyes.

"Are you going to stay a frightened, bullied, nine-year-old for the rest of your life?!" He snarled. "You can sing, Pixel! I know that the others know that and everyone knows that! So go on that stage and show THEM that!"

"We have to go." Skylor insisted, sensing it was almost time for them to transform.

"It's your choice, Pixel! You can grow up tonight or you can be a frightened young cub for the rest of your life!" Kai bellowed as the others dragged him away and back into the darkness of the forest. Pixel just sat there in shock at what her friend had just said to her. She knew he had a short fuse but he never spoke to her like that before. Back at the stage, the Mayor was getting ready to present the band and singers for the concert as Harumi posed on the stage with her backup singers.

"It's time to welcome back the moon! Are you ready for a song?" The Mayor asked and the crowd cheered yes. "Ladies and gentlemen, singing with Justin Baker tonight are our lunar princesses, as our Lunar Queen appears to be..." She trailed off when she saw a nervous Pixel walking onto the stage. "Miss Pixel Borg!" She announced with a smile and walked away, allowing Pixel to stand in the center of the stage with a spotlight above her.

The audience were applauding and cheering while Harumi glared at Pixel's back.

Every time the lead cheerleader thinks she had something going for her, either Pixel or her friends ruined it. First it was the art exhibit, then her party, then the film contest and now this. Pixel gave Justin a nervous look but said nothing and took a deep breath the calm her nerves as the band started playing.

_**"Go row the boat to safer grounds** _

_**But don't you know we're stronger now** _

_**My heart still beats and my skin still feels** _

_**My lungs still breathe, my mind still fears"** _

_**"But we're running out of time** _

_**Oh, all the echoes in my mind cry** _

_**There's blood on your lies** _

_**The sky's open wide** _

_**There is nowhere for you to hide** _

_**The hunter's moon is shining."** _

**_"I'm running with the wolves tonight_ **

**_I'm running with the wolves_ **

**_I'm running with the wolves tonight_ **

**_I'm running with the wolves"_ **

Everyone in the audience watched in awe as she sang the song like an angel. Pixel smiled as she felt her confidence rising with every verse and before the last chorus Cole, Kai, Morro and Skylor, who had transformed when the moon reappeared, lifted their wolf muzzles up towards the night sky and howled joyfully for Pixel. The howl carried through the forest and to the fair, but the crowd all though it was a special sound effect for the concert.

Pixel looked to the sky as she gave a knowing smile as she finished the song...


	5. Ancient Grudge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chen returns with an ultimatum for Skylor, while Morro has an important choice to make and Cole and Kai's relationship becomes a little deeper...

Skylor sighed in boredom as she walked alone through the forest from the abandoned caravan she had been calling home. She was heading to school and yesterday one of her teachers had been showing them how to use a compass and how even when they were totally lost they could hold the compass and it points toward the North Pole and find their way home. But she didn't need a compass to find her way home. She could use the nature all around her.

The way the wind blew, where mosses grow, trees with more leaves on one side, south-facing lichens, or even puddles that haven't dried out.

There were a lot of different ways to find her way. Skylor had never been lost in her entire life and never will. She was snapped out of her thoughts, however when she sensed something was wrong. She sniffed at the air, but couldn't pick anything up. She was about to start walking again when all of a sudden breaches started creaking and birds quickly flew away. The red-haired girl cautiously whipped around in fear and she started sniffing again, only to gasp when she picked up a familiar scent.

Something heavy suddenly jumped behind her and she turned around to see her father, Chen, standing there larger than life.

"Skylor." He smiled at the sight of his only child.

"Father!" She cried in joy and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug as he just chuckled at her antics.

"I have missed you so much." He admitted as he pulled out an old sack full of meat from the bushes and handed her daughter a large chunk, which she happily ripped into, due to it being a veggie day at the school cafeteria. "We expected you back by now." He said after a moment.

"The job's been harder than I thought." She admitted between chewing her meat. "Give it time, I'm working on him."

"There is no more time, Skylor."

"What do you mean?"

"The pack, they're getting restless, they're not going to wait." He sighed. "If Morro is going to be forgiven, he needs to return."

"He's made his home here."

"His home's the pack and your job is to bring him back." He reminded her. "No-one should lose their roots, the three of us will return to the wilderness tonight."

"Tonight?!" She cried.

"Morro's time in the human world has finished." He stated and a sharp growl from him stopped Skylor's protests. "You have to make him see this."

"But..." She gulped. "After what happened between you and..."

"Which is why I came alone, as a sign of peace."

"What if he refuses?"

"Make sure he doesn't."

"But-"

"The pack is questioning my authority." He suddenly said and Skylor's eyes widened in horror. "You have until sundown; he has to return now."...

* * *

In the meantime at school Lloyd, his friends, and the rest of their class were at a judo lesson in the gymnasium. It had been a week since the eclipse and things seemed to have changed in the school. Ever since the whole city had heard her sing, Pixel had been getting more attention and even a few singing offers, which she quickly turned down every time. It was a little disorienting for her to go from a genius nobody to a high school celebrity.

She just hoped they would find something else to talk about soon.

The only thing that hadn't changed at school was Harumi, Chad and their respective gangs were still giving her dirty looks and snide comments. Nya and Jay had also noticed Kai and Cole were acting differently around each other as well. They didn't want to be in the same room alone and when they were in the same room they wouldn't stand anywhere near each other. It was so weird to all their friends, especially when they used to be so close until a few months ago.

Even during their judo lesson Cole and Kai had refused to pair together like they usually do.

Instead, Kai was sparring with Zane and Cole with Jay. At first, Nya thought Cole might have done something to her brother to upset him but Jay had quickly defended his best friend. The two of them planned to corner both boys alone and see what the problem was. As the class began their judo lesson, Skylor came running into the gymnasium, later than usual. She apologized to the disappointed teacher and partnered up and the lesson continued.

However, throughout the lesson, Morro noticed the worried expression on Skylor's face.

The entire time he had known the wild girl she had never really worried about anything, except things like humans. As soon as the lesson was over and they changed into their normal clothes, Morro tried to talk to her alone in the hallway.

"What's wrong?" He asked as soon as he saw her. She stared at him for a moment before signing.

"I had a dream last night about the wilderness, about our pack" She replied and Morro looked away. "Don't you miss the wild, Morro?" She asked. "No timetables? No school?"

"It's not that bad here." He mumbled.

"But sometimes you must think about returning? All that freedom?" She asked desperately.

"There wasn't that much freedom." He glared. "Your dad tried to kill me."

"But what if he gave you a second chance?"

"Chen's not the forgiving type." He scoffed. "He threw YOU out too, remember?"

"He'll forgive me, I know he will." She insisted. "He'll forgive us both."

"No, he won't!"

"Trust me, Morro." She pleaded. "Don't you feel the call of the wild in your heart?"

"Everything that's important to me is here." He said in a stern tone. Skylor growled in frustration and she stormed off, nearly knocking Lloyd over as she pushed past him.

"What's up with Skylor?" The blonde boy asked.

"Er...nothing." He tried to shrug off. "She's just not feeling very well, that's all." He added and walked away, but Lloyd gave his retreating form a suspicious glare. As the other students started walking out of the gymnasium as well, Jay couldn't stop complaining to Zane and Pixel about all the aches the judo class had given him, especially since his sparring partner was Cole.

"That was the worst morning of my entire life." He whined as he rubbed his sore arms.

"You are being a bit melodramatic, Jay." Zane chuckled.

"Maybe you should try Osore?" Pixel suggested and the boys all shared a nervous look, which Pixel caught onto. "No, listen, my hearing really improved, and my sense of smell." She explained in awe. "It's like I felt more... powerful."

"It was all in your mind." Zane insisted but she ignored her concerned boyfriend.

"If you get some of this off and you will have no trouble beating Cole." She said to Jay.

"Please Pixel, even if it worked, it is not winning, is it?" Zane pleaded, but Pixel just sighed in frustration and stormed off.

"What is it with Pix and that potion? She's obsessed." Jay exclaimed in concern and Zane just sighed, hoping this did actually become her new obsession like with the beast in the forest...

* * *

That lunchtime, Lloyd and the others, minus Zane, Pixel, Morro, and Skylor, were sat at their usual table in the cafeteria, talking about what was going on with Skylor and Morro. Something about them and how they were always trying to be alone and whispering things to each other, only to shut up as soon as the others turned up was making Lloyd feel unsettled. With everything that had happened that year, he didn't want to take any risks.

"Something's going on with Morro and Skylor." He said to the others.

"What's the big secret?" Cole asked in confusion. He hadn't noticed anything wrong with Morro and Skylor, but then again, he had had other things on his mind. One of the main things was a certain spiky-haired brunette sitting across from him, refusing to meet his gaze.

"You don't...think that... well, that they like each other, do you?" Jay asked.

"Doubt it." Nya frowned.

"They do seem close and Morro did say that she was his only friend when he was in the wild pack." Lloyd sighed. The table fell into an uncomfortable silence until Kai and Nya decided to grab something else to eat and Lloyd left to get something from his locker, leaving Jay and Cole alone.

"So, what's up with you and Kai?" Jay finally asked and Cole almost choked on his sandwich.

"W-What do you m-mean?" He asked between coughs.

"Come on Cole, we've all noticed that you two have been acting weird."

"Just leave it!"

"Cole, I am your best friend, if there's something wrong between you and Kai you can tell me," Jay explained and Cole glared at him. The two friends sat there staring at each other for almost two minutes before Cole sighed in defeat.

"If... If I tell you, you have to promise not to tell ANYBODY; especially Nya."

"I promise."

"I-I think I'm in love with Kai." He admitted so quietly that Jay almost didn't hear him.

"You mean like a crush?" Jay asked.

"No, I mean... I-I don't know how to explain it!" He cried as he buried his face in his hands. "Every time we're near each other I get butterflies in my stomach and if he's ever upset, scared, or angry I get this feeling like I need to be his shield and protect him."

"Sounds like love to me." Jay smiled. "I feel that way about Nya."

"There's something else." He gulped. "You remember me telling you and the others about my one night stand?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, after the eclipse it all came back to me... it was Kai."

"WHAT?!" Jay screamed, causing almost everyone in the cafeteria to look over to them.

"Shut up!" Cole quietly hissed as the other students looked away from them.

"Do you think he remembers anything about that night?"

"He'd have to." He sighed sadly. "He must have woken up before me and left."

"But why hasn't he said anything to you when you told us about that night?"

"I think because... because he was disgusted with the idea of sleeping with me, a guy."...

* * *

Skylor growled in frustration and Morro kept asking her what was wrong. He had been following her around all day since she had asked him if he ever missed their old pack and running free. The way she had said had unsettled the lone wolf and he was determined to find out why she was asking him this now when she had spent a decent amount of time in Ninjago. She had gotten to know the others and she had seen how happy he was here.

When they had left the school building Skylor finally cracked.

"All right!" She cried in annoyance. "I'll tell you the truth, but you must promise not to tell the others." She warned and he nodded. "My father turned up to see me this morning."

"What?!" Morro exclaimed in fear and anger. "Has he hurt you?!"

"It's not like that." She quickly reassured. "He's come to make peace, he knows he went too far but he's made an offer." She explained. "If you and I return to the Pack we will be forgiven." She smiled hopefully, but it dropped when Morro started to chuckle bitterly.

"I'm not going back."

"Listen to me!" She pleaded. "If you and I swear our allegiance to him, then we can live in peace again."

"I'm not going back." He repeated in a firmer tone.

"I don't have a choice, I have to go back with or without you."

"Skylor you don't have to go!"

"I don't have a choice."

"Of course, you have a choice!" He shouted. "Just tell Chen you're not going."

"I'm his successor." She sighed. "It's where I belong and unless you come with me I won't get to see you ever again, Morro." She whimpered in sadness at the thought before running off into the forest before Morro could do anything. As the rest of the students left the school to go home Pixel wouldn't stop pestering Zane and Lloyd about the Osore potion. It was starting to get on their nerves.

"Is that lemon?" She asked them as she took a sniff at the opened bottle.

"Pixel, you really need to drop this!" Lloyd groaned.

"It changed me." She insisted.

"Yes, it made you sick." Zane sighed.

"I was not imagining it, I had werewolf symptoms."

"Werewolves are born, Pixel," Lloyd argued. "You can not just become one!"

"Well, then, there is no harm giving me the recipe, then, is there?" She asked.

"No." Zane replied.

"Look, the cure for cancer could be in that potion or some other kind of medical breakthrough." She pleaded. "If you just give me a little bit more to study with-"

"No!" Lloyd snapped and he quickly stormed off to the school bus. Pixel could only stare at his retreat form in shock. After everything Pixel had done for him and the others with keeping their werewolf secrets, covering for them and he talked to me like that. They may have had a lot on their minds but so had Pixel and any other teenager in their school. She was done playing nice...

* * *

That night, after they had had dinner and Uncle Wu and Misako had gone to bed, Lloyd snuck over to Morro's room to confront his foster brother about what was going on with him and Skylor. Something had put Skylor in a foul mood today and the blonde teen was determined to find out what was wrong.

"What were you and Skylor talking about?" He asked, getting straight to the point.

"W-What do you mean?" He gulped.

"What's going on, Morro?" He glared and after a moment of consideration, he sighed in defeat.

"She's just been mentioning the wild a lot, I think she's... homesick." Replied the lone wolf. He wasn't lying but he wasn't being honest either. If anyone found out what was going on and that Chen was back on their territory there would be hell to pay and he would be the one caught in the middle. This answer seemed to please Lloyd however and he wished Morro goodnight and left the other teen to his own thoughts...

* * *

Pixel sighed in frustration as she trudged through the dark forest, looking for Skylor's caravan. It was getting darker earlier now since it was only a month away from Christmas and her father didn't want her out this late in the day. She had told him that she had some homework to do in the library. She wanted to uncover the secrets of the Osore potion and knew that none of the others would be willing to give up the recipe, so she went for her new friend instead.

That potion had given her werewolf powers, even if it was only temporary and she wanted to make the change more permanent.

It sounded completely insane but she had good reasons. Werewolves were so much better than humans. Werewolves are stronger, faster, and more graceful than humans and possessed heightened senses, among other supernatural abilities. Their healing factor was another reason she wanted to know the secret. If she could learn why werewolves could heal so quickly and have stronger immune systems then it would be a medical breakthrough and possibly save millions.

Pixel was hoping she could make the others understand that and then they would help her.

She groaned in annoyance as she almost tripped over a large tree root. She knew where Skylor's caravan was because after they told the wild girl that Pixel knew the secret, the human had gone over and helped them fix up Skylor's new home. As the caravan came into view, however, Pixel frowned in confusion when she saw Skylor standing just outside the shelter, talking to someone tall. Knowing this wasn't anyone she knew, Pixel hid behind a large tree.

She was far enough away so they wouldn't hear or see her but close enough to hear what was being said.

Her eyes widened when she saw the tall figure was Skylor's father Chen. She recognized him from when she, Jay, Nya, and Zane had to hack into the school security cameras and delete the footage of him and his followers chasing Morro through the school halls.

"It's no use." She heard Skylor sigh. "He won't return."

"Then, I can't be held responsible," Chen replied coldly.

"What do you mean?"

"I can't protect him now."

"Protect him from what?"

"The Pack's honor is at stake, if we don't bring him back, they will."

"You have to control them!" Skylor cried as the wind started to pick up and Pixel mentally cursed as the two werewolves suddenly stopped and started sniffing the cold night air. The wind must have blown some of her scent towards them. Skylor's eyes widened in fear when she recognized the scent while Chen's eyes narrowed in rage.

"Humans." He seethed through clenched teeth.

"It's just kids." She quickly replied, trying to prevent her only human friend from being killed by her own father. If they made it out of this she was going to teach that interfering human a good lesson.

"They could be spying on us!" He roared as he sniffed around inside the caravan, picking up more scents. "Someone's been in there!"

"It's just a friend from school."

"You have human friends?!"

"I have to!" She snapped. "They don't know what I am and if you attack them the authorities will be all over these woods in no time and they'll ask questions."

"I see your point daughter." He growled as he slowly stepped away from the caravan and Skylor tried to not look too relieved.

"We're leaving tomorrow night so the caravan doesn't matter." She sighed before glaring at the alpha. "You have to control the Pack! You are their leader!"

"Leadership is about trust, their trust in me is fading."

"What if there was another way?"

"They're not going to be satisfied." He snarled. "Not until Morro has begged forgiveness and sworn his allegiance."

"What if he came to you here, bowed down before you, admitted his mistakes?" She asked. "I will bear witness and then you and I can return to the Pack, honor restored."...

* * *

By some miracle, Pixel had made it home before Chen or Skylor had found her. She didn't want to know what the wild girl's father would do to her if he found her sneaking around his daughter's home. The very next morning Pixel had called the others, minus Skylor, to their usual hangout at the cafe to discuss what she had seen before the wild girl found her first. Everyone but Skylor and Morro had shown up. They must have gone to school.

"Chen is back!" Pixel immediately said, not wasting any time.

"What?!" They all cried.

"I saw him talking to Skylor up at the caravan."

"Wait, what were you doing in the caravan?" Cole asked.

"It's a long story." She sighed, not quite sure what to tell them.

"Did you hear what they were planning?" Jay asked.

"Not much, but they are up to something."...

* * *

Poor Morro had felt like tearing his hair out. He had been on his way to meet the others at the Ying Yang Bistro when Skylor had all but dragged him to the edge between the city and the forest. At first, he thought it was an emergency but instead she was begging him to not only return with her to the wild pack but to grovel and apologize to Chen.

"No!" He snapped for what felt like the fifteenth time. "I'm not apologizing to him! Not here, not anywhere!"

"But it's the only way!" She cried.

"He tried to kill me!" He said, putting emphasis on every word.

"He's not the problem, the Pack is demanding retribution." She sighed and his eyes widened in fear. "If you don't bow to my Father, then they'll come back and Lloyd and the others and their families will be targeted and who knows what they'll do if they find out Pixel knows werewolf secrets." She warned. "My father can only control them if you apologize."

"I just don't trust him, Skylor."

"Then do it for me, I have to leave with him tonight." She sighed. "Unless you heal this rift, I won't be allowed to come back here again I won't be able to see you again." She said. Before he could think of a reply, however, Lloyd, Kai, and Nya suddenly appeared seemingly out of nowhere and charged at the two teens with faces of fury.

"Why's Chen back?!" Kai angrily demanded.

"Who told you?" Skylor asked until she remembered what had happened last night. "Pixel... Sneaking around my caravan."

"Because she knew you were hiding something." Lloyd glared.

"Yes, trying to save her from getting caught by my Father." She hissed. "That's what I was up to."

"Skylor's leaving, tonight." Morro quickly said before a fight could break out.

"But he threw you both out." Nya frowned in confusion.

"He'll forgive her." He sighed. "She can go home if I make peace with Chen."

"Stay away from him, Morro," Kai warned.

"You have to trust him." Skylor pleaded to the lone wolf.

"He tried to kill you, remember?" Lloyd scoffed.

"You don't know him." Skylor snapped. "He's not come to make trouble."

"Enough!" Morro suddenly shouted. "It's my decision." He added before storming off...

* * *

Pixel sighed as she left her English class and wandered through the halls. The others were in their own different classes and she was trying to avoid Skylor as best she could. Today the teacher had been teaching them about Shakespear's play named 'Romeo and Juliet'. How it was about two households, both alike in dignity in fair Verona, where we lay our scene. An ancient grudge break to new mutiny. Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.

It had gotten to the point where neither side could remember what they were fighting for.

They had been fighting for so long, that no knew anymore. It had become a way of life for them. But it was the love of Romeo and Juliet that made everyone realize that the only way out was reconciliation. She couldn't help but think about how it parodied what her friends were going through with Chen's wild pack. Hopefully, they would have a happy ending. As she walked down the hall she saw Morro and Lloyd talking alone by their lockers.

They were talking about Skylor's plan to meet up with her father tonight.

"It's not just for Skylor, it's for all of us." Morro reasoned. "So you guys don't have to live in fear of them and so we don't lose Skylor forever."

"Can't we come with you?" Lloyd asked. "Just to make sure?"

"No, it's between me and him." He sighed. "Once it's over, we'll all be free." He reassured before walking away. Pixel frowned and headed to the one place she knew Skylor would be. If the wild girl was going to be leaving tonight she didn't want to be left with a guilty conscience. She entered one of the girls' restrooms and smiled softly when she found Skylor inside. The red-haired girl was flushing a toilet repeatedly and watching the water in fascination.

As soon as she noticed Pixel's presence, however, she stopped and they both engaged in a staredown until Pixel sighed.

"I have a confession." She gulped, hoping Skylor would show her some mercy. "When I was at your caravan I was actually hoping you could tell me the recipe for the Osore potion." She admitted and braced for the rant. Instead, much to her shock, Skylor just sighed.

"Sorry, Pixel; Osore is just herbs and plants mixed in the wild, but I've no idea how to make it." She replied. "Only the Pack Healers and it's a secret that they don't even share with the rest of the pack." She explained and Pixel nodded in understanding.

"Well, I never thought it would end like this."

"No, me neither."

"Can we at least go to the Ying Yang Bistro or something first? I mean...say goodbye properly?" Pixel asked and noticed Skylor's worried expression. "Unless we haven't got the time?"

"He said until sundown."...

* * *

That night, all the werewolf teens walked together into the forest to say their last goodbyes to Skylor. They had asked Pixel to stay behind because if Chen found out she knew their secret he would not hesitate to slaughter her before she could even blink. The human had already said her goodbye to her friend at the cafe and asked the others to call her when it was all over. While the others were hanging back to talk to Skylor, Morro and Lloyd were a bit ahead.

"You know I'm right," Lloyd said after a moment of silence.

"Yeah, but... let's not say anything until it's official." He sighed. "Skylor's gonna be alright."

"It's Chen I don't trust." He warned as owls hooted loudly above them and they all came to a stop. It was time for them all to go their separate ways and say their final goodbyes. Even though they didn't like to admit it, the others were going to miss Skylor.

"I'm really going to miss all this." Skylor sighed.

"Us or flushing toilets?" Cole joked weakly.

"I'd say you're about equal." She chuckled. "It's amazing what you can get used to." She sighed sadly. They all didn't know what else to say so they all just said their goodbyes and watched sadly as Morro and Skylor continued walking deeper into the forest. They walked in silence for about half an hour until they came to a small clearing where Chen waited for them alone.

"You've got more guts than I thought." The wild alpha smirked as the teens stepped into the clearing.

"Don't be like that." Skylor scowled. "He's come to beg for your forgiveness."

"Then get on with it."

"Make sure you treat her well." Morro hissed as he glared at the man.

"You're telling me how to treat my own daughter?" He snarled.

"I didn't come here to argue." He sighed.

"Then don't! Submit!" Chen roared in anger. Morro let out a heavy sigh as Skylor stepped to the side and the lone wolf reluctantly knelt down and looked to the ground in submission.

"Onaji katana o sashidashimasu." Morro chanted in Japanese. "Watashi ga kyokutan ni Kao no nai Shashin o teiji Suru Toki."

Suddenly Clouse jumped out from behind the trees with a cry and a large net in hand. Before either Skylor or Morro could react, however, Kai suddenly ran into the clearing and attempted to push Morro out of the way of the net. Against the others' wishes, he had sneaked away and followed Morro and Skylor into the forest to make sure Chen didn't try anything funny. Unfortunately, his rescue attempt had failed and he ended up being stuck in the net with Morro.

Chen and louse were a little surprised at the sight of a tame werewolf captured but Chen just smirked, thinking how this could work in his favor.

"Kai?! What are you doing?!" Morro screeched as they struggled to get out of the net.

"Let them go!" Skylor cried. "You said he wouldn't be hurt and Kai has nothing to do with this!"

"You'd really defend this worthless boy and this tame wolf against me?!" Her father snarled in disgust.

"This isn't what we agreed!"

"He must be punished!"

"You vowed to forgive him!"

"The Pack has turned against him." Clouse suddenly snapped.

"Clouse is the only one who'd come to see justice done! The only one!" Chen bellowed and his daughter's eyes widened in shock and horror. "The pack will fear me again." He growled as he started walking towards the two trapped teens, his sharp black claws out and ready. "I have come to claim Morro's pelt! The tame dog is a great bonus!"

"NO!" She screamed as she jumped between her father and his prizes.

"I am your father!"

"And they are my friends!" She argued. Chen saw red and was about to strike his own daughter when suddenly he felt something run into him, knocking him to the ground. The alpha looked and growled when he saw the other teen werewolves surrounding him and Clouse. Kai wasn't the only one who thought it was best to watch and make sure Morro wasn't biting off more than he could chew. Chen slowly got to his feet and all the werewolves started growling at each other.

As soon as he saw Kai trapped in a net, Cole saw red and he, Jay, and Nya made to help them, with the others keeping Chen at bay.

Clouse's yellow eyes dashed around in a wild panic as he tried to decide what to do now. He couldn't allow these children to harm his master but he couldn't let the traitor or the tame wolf free or it would be his pelt Chen took. Just then Cole and Jay transformed and pounced on the man, forcing him to release the net and fall to the forest ground. He quickly transformed and all three wolves started circling each other as Nya desperately tried to untangle her brother and friend from the large net.

Chen saw this but focused his attention on Lloyd and Zane.

"Think you're a match for a real werewolf?" Chen jeered at the teens. "You're all soft! Spoiled! Like all of your kind!"

"We're more than a match for a desperate old wolf like you clinging to power." Zane hissed angrily as they growled and they all transformed into their wolves as well and started circling each other, daring each other to make the first move. Even though they were outnumbered, Chen and Clouse had more fighting experience, especially in their wolf farms, so the teens knew they couldn't let their guard down. Chen was about the attack when there was suddenly growling to his left.

He turned his head and was shocked to see a red wolf snarling at him as it joined Lloyd and Zane.

Skylor had transformed and was standing against her father. There was more growling and Chen saw that Nya had managed to get Kai and Morro out of the net and all three quickly transformed and joined the fight, with Kai helping to keep Clouse at bay while Nya and Morro joined the others in fighting Chen. As he looked at all the wolves he stood against him, Chen whined as he changed back into a human. He may have had more experience than these teens but they had numbers.

Seeing that his master had accepted defeat, Clouse changed back as well and they both bowed their heads in defeat.

All teens stared for a moment before they too transformed back into humans and rose to their feet. There they stood, in the middle of forest clearing, naked, glaring down at the two wild werewolves. They were all panting with adrenaline, anger, and fear as the cold air made their breaths visible. Still glaring at the adults, who had yet to make a move, they all got dressed and Cole immediately started checking Kai over for injuries, despite the brunette's insistence that he was fine.

"You'd side with them over me?" Chen finally said quietly as he looked up to his daughter, betrayal clear on his face.

"They're my friends!" She shouted as her eyes began to burn with tears.

"Then you've condemned me." He spat as he looked away from her.

"Why did you have to lie to me?!"

"Skylor, please!" He begged his only child. "Please help me or there'll be no Pack for you to inherit!" He exclaimed but she looked away from him in shame. He scowled as he growled and all the teens jumped back when he suddenly let out and angry and devastated howl to the night sky.

"Father-"

"Don't you dare come near me ever again," He muttered when she tried to reach for him. He and Clouse simply gathered their dirty clothes and silently rose to their feet. Lloyd and the others growled at them as Chen turned to his daughter. "You're no daughter of mine, not anymore." He spat in disgust before he and Clouse ran off into the darkness of the forest and out of their territory. As soon as they were out of sight, the weight of those words finally hit Skylor.

The red-haired girl sank to her knees as she cried and sobbed loudly.

Morro Kai and Nya were at her side in an instant and comforted her as the others could only watch in sadness...

* * *

Kai groaned as he collapsed in his nice, warm, comfortable bed in his and Nya's apartment. It had taken them an hour to calm Skylor down until she ended up crying herself to sleep. They had carried her back to her caravan and Morro and Lloyd had both offered to stay there the night, or at least until she woke up so she wouldn't be alone. No one objected to this. To be abandoned so suddenly by your parent and told that you could never return to the only home you had ever known would be devastating.

The others had wanted to stay as well but Morro had managed to convince them that it would be best if she awoke to a friendly face and as few people as possible as to not alarm her.

Kai looked to his alarm clock and sighed. It was almost 3 am but thankfully it was the weekend so no school tomorrow. Kai grunted in disgust as he caught a sniff of his dirty clothes. They were still covered in dirt from when he had transformed. He didn't have the energy to change out of the clothes and decided to have a shower in the morning. He was about to fall asleep when a knocking on his window woke him up again. He looked over to the window and frowned in confusion when he saw Cole standing there.

With a tired groan, the brunette got up and opened the window, allowing the larger teen to climb into his room.

"What's up, Cole?"

"I just wanted to see if you were ok."

"Yeah, I'm fine." He shrugged and turned around. Cole made to touch his arm, but the second his hand grazed Kai's arm the spiky-haired teen winced and quickly pulled away. Cole frowned in concern and reached out to take a look at Kai's arm. Kai didn't say anything as Cole rolled up his sleeve to reveal the red mark on his forearm.

"H-How did this happen?"

"When I got caught in that net." He sighed. "It's just a friction burn." He quickly said when he saw the distraught expression on Cole's face.

"I-I know... I'm sorry." He whimpered as he looked down.

"What's wrong?"

"It's just... seeing you struggling in that net..." He muttered as tears welled up in his eyes. He had been so scared of losing Kai. When he realized what had happened he had wanted to tear Chen and Clouse apart, limb from limb and when Nya had gotten Kai out of that net Cole had never been more relieved to see him safe and sound. Seeing the tears rolling down his cheeks, Kai carefully placed his hands on either said of Cole's face and gently made him look at him.

Unfortunately, neither of them knew what to say.

This was completely unknown territory for both of them. They could only stare into each other's bright eyes, lost in their own little world. Almost subconsciously they slowly started leaning towards each other until their lips met. At first, they didn't know what they were doing until they felt their instincts take over. Their eyes closed as Kai wrapped his arms around Cole's neck and deepened the kiss. Cole was taken aback for a moment before he placed his hands on the small boy's waist and pulled him closer.

Both of them were on cloud nine.

They didn't care about what was happening out of this room, this moment. It was absolutely perfect...

* * *

Early the next morning Morro and Lloyd left Skylor's caravan to return to the Garmadon household. When she had woken up she had been traumatized by last night's events, but the boys had managed to calm her down somewhat. Knowing that she was in a very bad place at the moment, Lloyd had suggested inviting her and the others over for dinner one night. Just like they had done when Morro had first arrived. It was a way of officially inviting her into their pack and their territory.

"What makes you think your mom and uncle actually want Skylor round for dinner?" Morro asked after Lloyd explained his idea to him.

"Skylor's here to stay now." He shrugged. "She's one of the pack."

"But they really don't like her."

"Who said they liked YOU at first?" He smirked. "It'll be fine, well, as long as she doesn't eat everything on the table the second she walks through the door." He joked and they both chuckled, remembering how Morro was whenever he was invited over to dinner at Lloyd's. Their laughs and smiles dropped however when they opened the front door. Standing in the doorway, Uncle Wu and Misako were carrying boxes they had brought downstairs.

As soon as the two adults saw the boys their eyes widened, not excepting them back just yet.

"What's going on?" Lloyd asked when he saw the boxes. The adults shared a look before Misako sighed.

"We've packed Morro's stuff." She said, much to the boys' horror. "He's moving back in with his foster parents."...


	6. Betrayal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kai, Nya, Cole, Maya, Ray, Pixel, and Zane are lured to a creepy old house while on a road trip...

It had been three days since they had chased Chen and Clouse off their territory and things seemed to be settling down again how long for was the question on everyone's mind. Well, almost everyone. Cole and Kai had started dating ever since their kiss in Kai's bedroom but they had both decided to keep their relationship on the down-low for as long as possible. They were too scared at how their friends and families would react to the news that not only were they gay but they were also dating each other.

Out of everyone they were mostly scared of telling their parents.

Cole's father already didn't like Kai, calling him a bad influence on his son, and had on more than one occasion told Cole to cut ties with the Smith family. It had only gotten worse since he and Kai had gotten arrested on a full moon. Kai's parents hadn't really had a problem with Cole but Kai still didn't want to tell them. They would both be devastated. Almost all his life, Kai's parents, mainly his mother, had been telling him he would find the perfect WOMAN to spend the rest of his life with and have a family.

The last thing he wanted was to break his parents' of his sister's hearts.

After they had become a couple Kai finally admitted to Cole that they had slept together at the Amare festival, but Cole had quickly told him that he already knew. That had left them feeling a bit awkward but they had managed to laugh about it. They didn't want to say anything about their relationship, especially with what was going on with Morro and the Garmadons. They had all been shocked by the news that Morro was being forced to move back in with his foster parents.

It wasn't the Garmadon family's fault though.

Social services had made that decision for some reason. Ray and Maya hoped all this business with Morro and Skylor didn't ruin their day out. They had decided a few weeks ago to take their children to the newly reopened Mega Monster Amusement Park. After some persuasion, the siblings had managed to convince their parents to allow Cole, Pixel, and Zane to come as well. The others had wanted to come as well but they had other plans.

Jay was spending the day with his mother, collecting new seashells for her on the beach, and Misako and Wu had said no to Lloyd coming for some unknown reason.

Ray and Maya still didn't trust Skylor, especially not since Chen and Clouse returned. Morro wanted to come as well but according to Ray, he had to reacquaint himself with the Dobsons. As the kids sat in the back of the car talking about what rides they were going to go one first, Maya was enjoying the view while Ray drove them to the amusement park. No one noticed Kai and Cole lovingly holding each others' hands under their winter coats.

Pixel was sat with her laptop on her lap, trying to finish some homework early as usual.

"What's wrong honey?" Maya asked when she saw the confused look on her husband's face.

"I have a feeling... that we've taken the wrong turn." He gulped as everyone groaned in frustration. They drove around until they found themselves in a small village none of them recognized. Realizing they were running low on gas, Ray quickly pulled up to a gas station/convenience store named 'The Gilliflower'. It appeared to be empty aside from a tow truck parked down the side. While he and his wife filled the tank, the kids went inside to see what snacks they could buy.

Behind the counter was a man with a name tag that said his name was Thomas Taing.

He was a man who looked a little older than Ray with medium length grey hair that was balding at the front, giving him a large forehead. He had dark brown eyes behind a pair of thick black glasses. He was wearing dark grey overalls with large brown boots. On the counter next to him was a bright yellow flower in a shiny white plant pot.

"You going somewhere nice?" He asked the teens that entered his store.

"Mega Monster Amusement Park," Cole replied.

"We're going to go on the big rollercoasters." Kai squealed at the thought as Ray came to pay for the gas.

"Morning, I'm afraid we've got ourselves a bit lost."

"I'll see if I can help." Thomas smiled as Ray stepped up to the counter, only for his smile to drop, and his eyes widened as purple spots suddenly appeared on the petals of the yellow flower.

"I think we took a wrong turn at Arcade Street," Ray explained when he noticed the flower. "Lovely flower, is it electronic?" He asked when he saw the spots.

"No...it's...a local thing." He stuttered as he slowly backed away from the raven-haired man. "Will you excuse me?"

"Is everything all right?"

"Yes... um... I think I've got a map somewhere in the back; let me look for it while you all have some coffee, on the house." He smiled and pointed to the coffee machine before dashing into the back of the store and outside. As soon as he was sure he was alone he pulled out his cell phone and called someone. "You'll never guess what, the flower changed color!" He grinned devilishly. After about ten minutes Thomas came back, map in hand.

He and Ray spent a few minutes looking around the map until they finally found a road that would take them straight to the amusement park.

They all paid for their items and made to set off. However, as they tried to drive away, the car was not working. They all got out and Ray opened the hood up to have a look at the car's engine. Seeing something was wrong, Thomas came outside to see if he could help.

"I don't understand it," Ray growled as he and Thomas examined the engine. "This car is like a tank, it always starts."

"It's the alternator." Thomas suddenly said.

"Is that serious?" Maya asked.

"Yes, you can not drive without one," Zane replied.

"I've got spare parts at home, there could be one there."

"We couldn't possibly ask you to do that." Said Ray.

"I'm closing up now anyway." He reassured and Ray and Maya shared a glance, almost like they were having a silent conversation between themselves before they nodded in agreement with the man. "Right... Wait there, I'll get my keys." He smiled and ran back into the store. While everyone was trying to fix what was wrong with the car, Cole pulled Kai around the side of the gas station and pinned him against the wall. They started to make out and Kai quietly moaned as he felt Cole's hands rub his chest and abs over his shirt.

As soon as they broke away for air, Cole leaned down and sniffed at Kai's neck and shook his head.

"How did I miss your scent, amber?" Cole sighed.

"Scent?" Kai echoed as Cole leaned back so he could look in the shorter teen's eyes.

"Your scent has been haunting my dreams," He explained as Kai blinked at him in surprise, "I've been trying to place your scent since the festival."

"Really?"

"I've been having dreams of you since the festival," He admitted, "In the dreams, we were always together and I knew that you were my mate, but I could never really see your face, I know your scent from my dreams." He sighed as he took another deep breath of Kai's scent. The brunette shuddered but before it could go any further they heard someone approaching. Reacting quickly, Kai pushed the larger teen away and fixed his shirt just as Nya appeared around the corner.

"Come on guys! The old guy's giving us a ride to his place to fix Dad's car." She explained before running back towards the car.

Cole and Kai shared a loving smile before they too went to join the others...

* * *

Back in Ninjago City, deep in the forest, Morro and Skylor were walking aimlessly through the trees, just trying to forget their problems. Morro was supposed to be spending the day with the Dobsons but it had been incredibly awkward and thankfully they hadn't said anything when Morro had excused himself and left to meet up with Skylor. He would have gone to meet with Lloyd but it would have been when they had just kicked him out.

Jay was at the beach with his parents and the others were out of town to visit an amusement park.

Skylor was the only one who could possibly understand what he was going through. They had both just lost the places they had called home, the only difference was that she could never return whereas Morro could see Lloyd and his family almost every day. As they walked around the forest, Skylor noticed Morro messing with his cellphone. The concept of a small metal box allowing millions of people to talk to each other over great distances still puzzled her.

Despite her friends' best attempts to explain it to her.

Morro growled as his phone failed to do what he wanted. He had been trying to call the others but it seemed his phone was busted.

"Is it broken?" Skylor asked.

"I think it's just not so smart anymore." He sighed as he pocketed the device.

"Strange how much you all depend on those." She hummed in thought. "If I want to know what the weather is, I look at the sky."

"But in the human world, if you really want to fit in, this is where you start."

"I prefer the natural world." She smiled. "Let's go to the Howling Tree."

"What?"

"It's a place I found, come on." She giggled and dragged the confused lone wolf into the forest until they came to a tall, bare tree next to the stream not far from her caravan. The tree was hollow with around a dozen holes dotted around the tree. Skylor smiled as she howled into one of the holes and the sound grew louder as it traveled through the tree and echoed across the forest. Morro joined in with the howling and they laughed at the sound.

"That was amazing." Morro chuckled until he saw the sorrowful expression on the wild girl's face. "What's wrong?"

"I can never go back, can I?" She whimpered.

"Didn't have a choice, not after the way your dad behaved."

"Morro, when I arrived... I..." She gulped, hoping this was or the best. "The thing is, my father didn't throw me out."

"What...?" He muttered.

"He told me to come here and bring you back."

"So...you were lying to me?" He glared. "The whole time?"

"I didn't know he'd betray us both."

"Why would you do that?"

"If I didn't, I knew you wouldn't come; don't hate me, please." She pleaded. "Your world is all I've got now, if I'm going to live here, you had to know the truth."

"I don't fucking believe this!" He growled as he began marching away from his friend.

"Please don't be angry!" She cried as she chased after him. "I wanted you back! Father promised me you'd come to no harm!"

"Oh, Chen promised did he?!" He spat. "Well, I think he broke that promise don't you?!"

"You are not being fair!" She snapped. "The other day, I chose you over my kin, my pack, my life!" She screeched and Morro slowed to a stop, finally taking in what she was saying.

"It's OK, I'm sorry." He sighed and turned to face her. "Every day, werewolves keep our secret from the world but we can't do that if there are secrets between us."

"That's why I told you!" She exclaimed

"I'm glad you did, but from now on no more lies." He told her and she nodded in agreement.

"Can I ask you something?" She asked after a few moments of silence.

"Sure."

"The others and their parents, they've lived amongst humans forever."

"Yeah?"

"So every full moon, when they're wolves, how is it they've never been caught?"

"Well, since we're sharing secrets..." He trailed off in thought before smiling. "I'll show you."...

* * *

After agreeing to go with Thomas to his house, Ray had hooked the car to the old man's tow truck and they all drove up to the house. The house stood alone in a clearing outside the village, quite far from the nearest neighbors. The teens were shocked when they saw the place. This wasn't a house, it was more like a small manor, similar to Zane's house. From the outside, the old house looked magnificent. It had been built with brownstones with tall, rectangular windows that let in plenty of light and have been added to the house in a very asymmetric way.

The large roof was high and slanted to one side and was covered with large patches of green ivy.

Two small chimneys poked out the center of the roof. Rows of small windows let in plenty of light to the rooms below the roof. The house itself was surrounded by a large stone wall and a gorgeous garden, including various trees, bushes, flowers, and a large pond. The house was very creepy and old looking.

"A broken-down car, a spooky house..." Cole gulped.

"Isn't this how horror movies start?" Kai asked, but no one dared to answer him. As they pulled up outside the house an older woman stepped outside to greet them as they got out of the car. This was Thomas' wife, Victoria Taing. She looked to be around the same age as her husband with short, greying blonde hair and stormy blue eyes. She wore a pale purple blouse with a long floral print skirt, simple black flats, and a gold locket.

"This is my lovely wife Victoria, she's the housekeeper." Thomas introduced them as his wife smiled at them. "Before Lord Calarook left us, he put a clause in the will protecting her job, it's been in her family for many generations." He explained as they walked into the large old house. Inside the house was just as magnificent and creepy as the outside. The hallways were full of old-fashioned oil paintings and framed photographs from the past.

The house was equipped with an average-sized kitchen and two old fashioned bathrooms, it also had a huge living room, four bedrooms, a roomy dining room, and a modest garage.

Everyone, including Pixel, refrained from gagging as a strong smell invaded their noses. The old couple had potpourri all over the house and it was messing with their sense of smell. They choose to ignore it, however, knowing how some old people like these strong-smelling items. As they walked down the hall Pixel stopped when a certain painting caught her attention. It was a painting of a hunter standing proudly in a forest clearing with a hound and a gun.

In the bottom right corner, however, she saw two tiny yellow dots in the shadows.

They almost looked like eyes. She eyed the painting suspiciously before hurrying to join the others. They all met up in a large living room with a comfy-looking sofa, dozens of antiques, and a roaring fireplace. Framed above the fireplace was a large blunderbuss and on the mantlepiece were tiny plant pots full of the same yellow flowers from the gas station. Pixel's eyes examined the room and she frowned what she saw an unusual patch on the floor in front of the fireplace.

It looked as if something had been recently moved.

As soon as they saw the bright flames all the werewolves in the room got extremely nervous, and back away into the corner of the room.

"I love a nice fire, don't you?" Thomas asked as he warmed his hands by the fire.

"A-Actually, I'm a bit hot." Nya stuttered and the others agreed as they all eyed the fire, trying to hide their fear.

"Yes, me too," Victoria said and quickly put the fire out, much to the werewolves' relief.

"Does that old gun work?" Pixel asked, trying to take her mind off her unease.

"Oh, yes, it's a blunderbuss." Thomas grinned as he picked up the gun for her and Zane to examine. "It's the traditional Calarook hunting gun; though it hasn't been used since the last Lord Calarook... was... taken away." He trailed off as his expression darkened.

"Was he arrested?" Zane asked.

"No, to a home." Victoria sighed. "They thought he was mad, but he wasn't." She grinned, causing an uncomfortable shiver to rattle Ray and Maya and they unconsciously moved closer to their children.

"Could we have a look at that car now?" Ray quickly asked, wanting to get his family out of here as soon as possible.

"Of course." Thomas smiled and quickly lead the father away to the garage.

"I could use the bathroom." Kai suddenly said.

"Me too," Cole added.

"Follow me, and you all look like you could use a nine cup of tea." Victoria smiled and everyone began to follow her out of the room. Before they left, however, Pixel quickly grabbed Nya and Zane's arms and pulled them back into the living room. Thankfully no one noticed.

"What's wrong?" Zane asked his girlfriend. She didn't say anything and pointed to the disturbed space in front of the fireplace.

"So there used to be a rug, let go." Nya shrugged and made to leave, only to cry out when she tripped over something sticking out from under the couch. Frowning in confusion, Pixel knelt down and pulled it out into the open. As soon as they saw what it was Pixel's eyes widened while Zane turned a little green and Nya had to hold in a scream. It was a real wolf skin rug. It was the same rug from the front of the fireplace.

"She must've hidden it before we arrived," Pixel muttered.

"What are you saying?" Nya whimpered.

"Everywhere is worn except for where that was." She explained. "They'd only move it if they knew you were werewolves."

"Aren't you getting a bit carried away, Pixel?" Zane asked, trying not to panic.

"There's something not right about this place." She argued. "Come and see the picture in the hall." She said and dragged them into the hallway and showed them the painting she had been looking at before. She pointed out the yellow spots and Nya and Zane shared worried looks. It looked like a werewolf hunter to them.

"Look, even if it was real, it's ancient history." Nya tried to argue, but the tremor in her voice betrayed her true feelings.

"So you think that rug under the seats is just a coincidence?" She asked and the two werewolf teens shared a nervous look before Zane's eyes narrowed in determination.

"I will get my phone, go online and we will check this place out." He said and rushed to the garage to get his phone from the car.

"I'll look for my Mom and Dad," Nya told her human friend before running down the hall and disappearing around the corner. Pixel sighed, not knowing what to do for a moment before going to find where Victoria had taken their coats. She searched all of downstairs but couldn't find anyone anywhere in the house. With an irritated sigh, she sneaked up the stairs and started looking in the different bedrooms, but yet again turned up empty.

When she approached one of the bathrooms, however, she froze when she heard something strange.

She leaned against the door and her eyes narrowed in confusion when she thought she could hear moaning and shuffling in the room. She to listen for anything else when all of a sudden her knee knocked against the door. All noises suddenly stopped and Pixel quickly dashed into a room down the hall just as the bathroom door opened and Cole and Kai rushed out into the hall. They both looked disheveled as they fixed their shirts with flushed cheeks as they looked around in fear.

They both sniffed, trying to find out who was here, but the potpourri was still messing with their senses.

Fearing the worst, they both quickly ran downstairs to find Kai's parents. It didn't take Pixel a second to understand what was going on between Cole and Kai but decided it was none of her business. She waited until she was sure they were both gone and was about to walk out of the room when something caught her eyes. It was their coats that Victoria had taken. Slowly, Pixel turned around and gasped when she saw what room she was in.

It looked like a science lab straight out of the 18th century.

It was full of diagrams of the human and wolf body with plastic skulls and beakers. It looked like these people were doing some sort of analysis on their coats. She looked into a small microscope on the table and frowned when she saw a piece of their coats under it. Pixel quickly grabbed their coats and ran to look for the others before they all ended up being examined. She ran out of the house and around to the garage but was shocked when she only found Ray's car and nothing else.

No Ray, no Zane, and no Thomas.

The car door was open and Zane's cellphone was on the ground. She looked into the car and was horrified to see that her laptop was missing...

* * *

Back in Ninjago City, Morro had taken Skylor to Lloyd's empty house. It seemed that the blonde teen and his family were out somewhere, allowing Morro and Skylor to enter the house with no hassle. When they had told him he had to move back into Dobson's household Misako and Wu had given him a spare key to the house, saying that he was welcome anytime and this was still very much his home. As soon as they entered the house, Morro led Skylor down to the basement.

"So, Skylor, this is the den." He smiled.

"They run wild in a cellar?" Skylor asked as she cautiously looked around the den.

"Don't knock it till you've tried it, make yourself comfortable," Morro smirked as he slumped down on a chewed up armchair. "They have a big stack of meat in the fridge, I'll go see what's there." He suddenly said and headed back upstairs, leaving a nervous Skylor alone down in the basement...

* * *

Cole and Kai ran down the stairs and were distraught when they couldn't find anyone, meaning it could have been anyone spying on them upstairs. Kai was panicking, thinking it was either his parents or his sister and Cole was trying to calm his secret boyfriend down. The last thing they needed was for Kai to get so stressed that he wolfed out and ran wild throughout the manor. As Cole was trying to help him calm down, Victoria suddenly appeared from the kitchen with two teacups in her hands.

"Can I help you?" She asked when she saw the teenage boys.

"Sorry, we... we were just l-looking for everyone," Kai reassured as he took deep breaths to calm his nerves.

"Can we help you with anything?" Cole asked the old lady.

"No, no, you relax, make yourself at home, I've brought some tea." She smiled and handed them the cups. Almost immediately Kai drank the whole cup, much to Victoria's shock and Cole's amusement, and gagged when the taste finally hit him.

"Is it herbal?" Cole chuckled as he took a small gulp of his own tea, wincing at the taste as well.

"Just a little local tradition." She smiled and Cole suddenly felt a headache growing. "Sweet herbs and rose petals, we sometimes put it in cream." She added when Cole suddenly heard a shattering sound. He whipped around and almost screamed when he saw Kai lying unconscious on the floor. He made to help the smaller teen, but he was suddenly hit with a dizzy spell as he slumped to the ground.

"You go and get cozy." Was the last thing he heard before everything went black...

* * *

Maya frowned in confusion as she wandered around the halls of the manor. She had been unable to find her children or their friends and she was wondering what was taking her husband so long to fix the car. She knew he wasn't very good with technology but it shouldn't have taken this long. She had tried to sniff out her family's scent but thanks to all the strong-smelling potpourri it was impossible. She entered an old fashioned study room when Nya suddenly ran in, Pixel's laptop clutched tightly in her arms.

"There you are." Maya sighed in relief when she saw her daughter.

"Mom, you have to see this." Nya quickly said and opened to laptop to show a webpage on the manor they were currently in. "Calarook Hall, home to The Legend of The Gilliflower." She read from the page.

"Isn't that's what the gas station was called?"

"Dating from the Middle Ages, the legend says that the Gilliflowers grown on the estate are capable of detecting werewolves." She continued and both females' eyes widened in horror.

"When the spots appear, the wolf is near?"

"Lord Calarook was a werewolf hunter and that room with the fire had a real wolf skin rug in there and they hid it under a chair." She explained. "Mom, they know what we are."

"Right, grab the coats," Maya ordered.

"I can't! They've gone!"

"Well, we're leaving anyway."

"How? The car isn't working." Nya reminded and Maya nearly cursed.

"We'll stay together till it is working." She growled. "Save that, we'll show your dad." She said and made to leave when Nya suddenly gasped. Maya looked at the scene again and her eyes widened when she saw what had shocked her daughter. Nya had tried to save the information and it had taken her to Pixel's files. Most were basic things like homework but some had more disturbing titles. They read the effects of the full moon, the ability to transform at will, and wolfsbane and its side effects.

There were even video files.

With shaking hands Nya clicked on the videos and they were horrified when a recording of everyone in their pack transforming in their respective dens.

"These are all our secrets!" Maya cried just as Pixel ran into the room.

"You lying shit!" Nya snarled as soon as she saw the human.

"All this time, acting like a werewolf's best friend, you've been spying on us?!" Maya snapped and Pixel's eyes widened when she saw her laptop and she realized what they were talking about.

"I-It's to protect you!" She defended. "Sooner or later, people will find out and who knows what lies they'll spread? That tells the truth!"

"We're not your lab rats, Pixel!"

"I didn't mean any harm! I'd forgotten the camera was even there!"

"Oh, really?! Then what're these live links?!" Nya growled and clicked on one of the links. After a few seconds of loading a video popped up revealing Lloyd's den, with Skylor and Morro running around, enjoying some meat from the fridge. Before anyone could say anything else, however, Victoria Taing suddenly walked in, pushing a trolley full of teacups and a steaming pot of tea.

"Is everything all right?" She asked when she picked up on the atmosphere in the room. "I thought I heard shouting."

"Yes, we're fine," Nya said, breathing heavily.

"Would you all like some tea?"

"Actually, we really need to be getting going," Maya replied.

"The car's not fixed yet."

"We'll call the breakdown services."

"Your husband said it's almost done, you relax and have a drink." She offered with a big smile.

"We're not hungry or thirsty."

"Just a taste, I'd really love to know what you think." She insisted, her smile faulting for a split second.

"Where's my husband?" Maya suddenly asked, her patients running out.

"With mine," Victoria replied as her smile completely dropped. "Really there is no need to be uncivil."

"I'm sorry, it's just we really need to be going." Maya sighed. "There's a family crisis at home, it's not personal."

"Very well, follow me." She said coldly and the three girls followed towards the garage.

"Has anyone seen Cole or Kai or Zane?" Pixel whispered to the others and the mother and daughter felt their stomachs dropped. They entered the garage and found that it was still empty.

"This is where Thomas keeps all his old spare car parts, I expect they're looking for one now." The old woman smiled as her husband suddenly walked into the garage and was surprised to see all the girls standing there. "Thomas, the family has some sort of crisis and they need to leave." She said in an odd tone and his eyes widened at the news. "Have you found the spare part in there?"

"Yes... Mr. Smith's looking at it now." He replied and they all followed him back into the house and down into the basement. All the girls shared worried looks as Thomas pulled out some rusty keys, unlocked a large metal door, and pulled it open to a large room, dimly lit room behind bars. The girls nearly screamed when they saw Ray, Cole, Kai, and Zane chained up and gagged.

"Ray?!" Maya cried as the old couple opened the doors and the girls rushed in without thinking to save the boys. Before they could react, however, there was a sudden slam and they all turned around to see Thomas and Victoria had locked the bars and were smiling at them with an insane look in their eyes.

"We know what you are and after the next full moon, so will the world!" Victoria grinned like a child on Christmas day.

"You're insane, you evil bitch!" Kai spat once Nya removed his gag.

"Soon the press will gather to see you change." Thomas laughed.

"Change into what?!" Nya cried. "We're just people, like you!"

"You're not people, you're beasts." Victoria snarled.

"When the spots appear, the wolf is near." Thomas giggled.

"Deny it all you want! The moon will reveal all!" His wife smirked and they made to leave.

"Wait! Listen to me!" Pixel exclaimed as she ran up to the bars, her laptop still in hand. "I'm not one of them, I'm a werewolf hunter like you." She said but it was clear they didn't believe her. "See? I've been gathering evidence, pretending to be their friend." She said as she opened the laptop and showed them all her files on werewolves.

"Pass it through the bars."

"No way." She growled and closed the laptop. "You're not walking off with my evidence, I've been gathering data for years."

"Pix? What are you doing?" Cole asked after all their gags and restraints were removed, but their human friend ignored them.

"They will kill me and they will destroy all of this." She pleaded and after a moment of consideration the old couple opened to bars and let her out, locking it back up before any of the werewolves could try and escape.

"Pixel?!" Zane cried when he saw his girlfriend abandon them.

"You fucking traitor!" Nya screamed, her eyes burning a bright yellow in rage and betrayal. "Let us out of here!"...

* * *

Pixel tried to keep a blank expression as she followed Thomas and Victoria up the stairs and into the living room. She had heard her friends cursing her out through the door but she had to stay strong. If she could just keep these crazy people distracted long enough to take the keys and free the others she hoped they would finally understand. These kinds of people were the very reason she was collecting all this data on them and their werewolf powers.

When the secret is revealed people like Thomas and Victoria would hunt her friends and Zane down like they were wild animals.

They could end up locked in cages or strapped down to some kind of lab table to be dissected. The thought made her sick and she could only hope the couple couldn't tell. As soon as she entered the living room she saw they had placed the wolf skin rug in front of the fire. Thomas put the keys on the shelf next to the door and he and his wife stepped up close to the re-lit fire.

"Come closer." He ordered and Pixel stepped towards the fire without any hesitation.

"You don't seem to be afraid of the fire." Victoria frowned and picked up one of the Gilliflowers and held it up to the teen's face but nothing happened, finally convincing them that she was indeed human.

"So, show us what you've got." He said and they all sat on the couch and Pixel started showing them the research and videos she had taken. After about fifteen minutes Pixel was suddenly struck with a brilliant but risky idea.

"I've got some of their wolf hair in my bag." She said, catching their attention. "Would you like to see?"

"Absolutely."

"It's in the car." She said and handed them the laptop as she speed-walked out the room. Unbeknownst to the couple, who were both too engrossed in her laptop and research, Pixel grabbed the keys on her way out and made a beeline for the basement.

"This is mind-boggling," Thomas said. "They mix with other children at school and nobody knows!" He spat in disgust and his wife nodded in agreement. She looked towards the door for a brief moment and her eyes narrowed.

"Darling."

"Yes, dear?"

"Didn't you put your keys down over there?"...

* * *

"How could she do it?! She was our friend!" Nya screeched as she paced around their cell. After they had been freed from their restraints Maya and Cole were trying to keep Ray and Kai calm while Zane was trying to get his head around Pixel's supposed betrayal and Nya preferred to rant and rave while she paced around like a caged animal.

"You don't really believe she'd side with them, do you?" Cole asked.

"She's been spying on us! All this time!"

"What?!" Ray cried in disbelief.

"If that is true, she is not going to share that with anyone." Zane desperately tried to defend his girlfriend.

"She's sharing it with them now!" Cole shouted.

"You don't really believe that, do you?" Asked Maya.

"Trust me, Pixel will get us out of this," Zane reassured but no one believed him as they fell into an uncomfortable silence.

"He deliberately sabotaged the car." Ray suddenly growled. "He must have to get us up here!"

"Proves my point, you can't trust anyone!" Kai hissed and Cole sighed sadly but no one seemed to notice. They all suddenly stiffened at the sound of running footsteps heading straight for their cell and Pixel appeared on the other side of the bars.

"I've got the key!" She exclaimed as she quickly unlocked the bars and freed her friends.

"I told you she would get come back for us." Zane smiled but no one said anything as they all ran upstairs and to the garage where their car was waiting. Thomas and Victoria were nowhere to be seen. Taking this chance, they all ran around to the front of the car and popped to hood up to see if they could fix it.

"So how do we get it started?" Cole asked as they examined the car parts.

"He probably just pulled a wire out or something," Nya replied.

"Where are you going?" Zane suddenly shouted when he saw Pixel running back into the house.

"To get my laptop!"

"No, you're not!"

"Do you want to leave it in there with them?!" She exclaimed and disappeared into the house before anyone could stop her. Deciding they had to focus on the car first, all the werewolves were so busy trying to fix it they all failed to notice the sound of approaching footsteps.

"Don't move!" A voice suddenly screamed and they all looked up to see the old couple standing in the doorway with the large gun from the living room. Thomas was trying to load the gun with trembling hands. Whether it was from fear or excitement was anyone's guess. As soon as the female hunter noticed Pixel had taken the keys, they headed to the cell, only to find it empty. They had rushed back to the living room to grab the gun & silver musket balls to try and stop the werewolves from leaving.

Neither Thomas nor Victoria had seen a beast for almost 30 years.

They could not let them getaway. Feeling the rage and fear boiling in their blood, Kai, his mother, and Cole started growling as their veins darkened and their eyes turned yellow, burning holes into the old crazy couples' souls.

"Quickly, quickly!" Victoria panicked as she shook her husband's shoulder.

"I think I've found it!" Nya suddenly called and Ray quickly climbed into the car and nearly jumped for joy when the car started working.

"Hurry up!" Victoria screeched.

"Do you know how difficult it is to load one of these things, you stupid woman?!"

"Just shoot!" She cried just as Pixel pushed past the two hunters and ran to the car, clutching her laptop tightly.

"HURRY THE FUCK UP!" Kai shouted as Pixel jumped into the car and Ray started driving away.

"Give me that, you idiot!" Victoria roared and snatched the gun from her husband. She took aim and fired. Thankfully the bullet missed any of the people in the car and loudly ricocheted off the trunk of the car. Pixel and Zane looked out the rear window, watching as the crazy werewolf hunting couple rage and scream in front of the manor. Kai was trying to calm Nya down, who couldn't stop glaring at Pixel while Cole just sat there in shock at today's events.

Ray and Maya silently glared at the road ahead as they sped away from that house of horrors.

They considered calling the police but they were worried the police would find out why those people were trying to trap them and shooting at them. It wasn't until they saw Ninjago City appear in the distance before someone finally said something.

"So, Pixel, what made you decide to help us?" Maya asked calmly, but her eyes showed her true emotion.

"I did not have to decide anything." She replied, too scared to meet anyone's eye. "Like I keep saying, people like that think you're evil; they think you're monsters but everything on here proves you're not." She explained. "It is insurance, for all of you."...

* * *

That night, after they were all safe in their own homes, Nya and Kai texted Lloyd, Morro, and Jay and told them what had happened at the manor and that Pixel had hidden cameras in their dens, secretly spying and gathering data on them. They all agreed to keep it a secret from Skylor. If the wild girl even caught a whisper of Pixel spying on them she would surely kill the human. Unfortunately, Pixel now had every few friends, with only her boyfriend and Jay really sticking up for her.

Although Jay was still hurt by her action and made sure she knew that.

While their parents were calling people up and trying to decide whether or not to call the police on the hunters, their children were in Kai's room, trying to get over the day's events.

"I just texted Zane, Pixel's taken the cameras back." He sighed.

"Is she going to spy on someone else now?" Nya asked sarcastically. "We need to wipe all that data."

"She just saved us!"

"Yeah, after spying on us!"

"You heard her, it's for our protection!" He glared. "You should learn some trust, sis."

"Maybe people should earn it! Maybe I'm just sick of people doing things behind my back!" She snapped and stormed back to her own room, not seeing the worried look on her brother's face...


	7. Accusations

Pixel sighed as she left her home to go to school. It had been a few days since she, Cole, Kai, Nya, their parents, and Zane had been trapped in that house with those crazy werewolf hunters and hardly anyone was talking to her. After the adults had finished talking it over with each other they decided to report Thomas and Victoria to the police. They didn't want to risk their secret however so they reported it anonymously. It was all over the news the next day.

The teens got a good chuckle when they read the story.

Both the couple had both been arrested for possessing an unregistered firearm and as soon as they started ranting about capturing werewolves they were given a one-way ticket to the crazy house. Sadly, it didn't help smooth things over with Pixel and the others. As soon as they had returned to the city Nya, Cole and Kai had all but demanded she deleted all her research on them. She had refused to do it. Zane was trying to support his girlfriend's decision to keep her data but she could tell he didn't approve and all her friends' parents refused to let the human in their homes anymore.

Not after they had all found out she had hidden cameras in their homes to spy on them.

Kai, Lloyd, and Nya's parents had even told their children to cut off all ties with Pixel. To top it all off Nya had been making snide remarks every time she saw her. She kept saying how she hated secrets and how they ruined relationships. Pixel couldn't help but scoff at the irony of the situation. They had lied and kept the secret of them being werewolves from her for years and Nya clearly had no idea her brother and Cole were dating each other.

She was also fairly certain that the others and their parents didn't know either.

Pixel wasn't going to be the one to tell them. That was something Cole and Kai needed to do in their own time. She would talk to the secret couple at school today and try and convince them to come clean...

* * *

Kai groaned as he poured himself some cereal for breakfast. It was almost time for school and he had yet to get dressed. Nya was getting ready in her room and their parents had already left for work. He just didn't feel like going to school today, but their parents refused to let him stay off. He or Cole hadn't found out who was spying on them while they were busy making out in the bathroom at the creepy manor. They both hoped that it was one of the hunters but they couldn't risk it.

Kai had reluctantly told Cole that they couldn't do anything like that again, at least until they found out who it was for sure.

Cole had tried to argue, but the spiky-haired teen had put his foot down. Cole had suggested coming clean about their relationship but Kai had refused, still too scared at what his family would think of him and thinking about his father, Cole agreed. They had been up most nights texting each other. He was snapped out of his thoughts, however, when Nya suddenly walked into the kitchen, fully dressed.

"Are you going to school in your PJs?" She smirked.

"I can't be bothered." He groaned, eating a spoonful of cereal.

"I know, I hardly slept either." She sighed. "Was paranoid one of Pixel's cameras were hidden in my room, watching me."

"Can you give it a rest?!" He snapped. "She had good intention but a stupid plan!"

"Not until she pays for betraying our trust! I hate people keeping secrets from me!"

"W-What about when she didn't know about us being werewolves?" He asked. "I mean wasn't that us keeping a big secret from her?"

"That's different!" She snapped and went to her room to get her school bag. Kai just groaned in frustration, ready to pull his hair out...

* * *

That day at school, Cole and Kai were at their lockers, gathering their things for their morning classes. Cole wanted to hug his boyfriend but the hallway was full of students and teachers. They had to settle for longing looks and loving whispers. Lloyd and the others were supposed to be meeting them soon so they could walk to their first class together. Skylor was off sick today. According to Morro, she was still upset by her father abandoning her so they didn't question it.

Just as they closed their lockers Kai felt a tap on his shoulder.

He and Cole turned around and saw a nervous Pixel standing before them.

"Hello." She said.

"What's up?" Cole asked.

"I can tell you are worried but I can assure you both there's no need; I haven't told anyone about you two." She said and they both felt their stomachs drop.

"So it was you behind the door," Kai muttered in fear.

"Don't worry about it, honestly." She reassured and in a split second, they felt the dam burst.

"We don't know what we'll do if people found out about this." Cole sighed and saw the distressed expression on Kai's face so he wrapped an arm around the small boy's shoulders.

"Hey!" A voice suddenly called and they all turned to see Nya rushing towards them, the others following close behind. "Is she bothering you?" She asked when she saw how upset her brother was.

"No!" He denied.

"It's nothing!" Cole added but Nya turned to glare at Pixel.

"I don't know what you said but I'm warning you, stay away from me and my family!"

"Just leave me alone,"

"You started all this when you hid cameras in our homes!" Morro exclaimed. By now most of the other students in the hallway had caught onto to the tension around the group and had all cowered around, hoping for a fight to break out.

"You know why I did what I did." She countered.

"We don't care why you did it! You should have asked our permission!" Lloyd argued.

"I'm sorry Pixel, but they're right." Jay sighed. "This wasn't like those cameras in the forest, this was in our homes, invading our privacy."

"See what I mean? I knew we couldn't trust her; it's just secrets, lies, and betrayal until she gets what she wants!" Nya spat and Pixel felt something snap. For most of her life, she had been mocked and ridiculed by her classmates for her beast in the forest, and when she learned what her friends were she kept it secret and gave up her lifelong obsession. Then when she tried to make sense of their lifestyle, behavior, and biology they accuse her of being the worst thing in the world.

She had put up with a lot of things but she refused to put up with this from her friends turned hypocrites.

"Ok, if you want the truth for once, I am not the only one keeping secrets from you Nya." She seethed. "Back at the manor, while we were all none the wiser, your brother and Cole were making out in the restroom upstairs!" She snapped and Cole and Kai went pale as everyone watching gasped. The hallway then fell into an uncomfortable silence as they all looked between Pixel, Kai, and Cole. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Cole and Kai couldn't believe Pixel.

She had literally just said she would keep it quiet and now she was shouting that they were a couple from the rooftops. As soon as she realized what she had said, Pixel looked to the floor in shame, unable to meet the couple's gaze.

"Stop lying you nasty bitch!" Cole suddenly shouted, shocking everyone.

"Hey!" Zane growled as he stood protectively in front of his girlfriend.

"W-Well why would she say something like that?" Kai asked, desperately trying to save their secret.

"She just making stuff up to save her own skin." Nya glared, not believing the human for a second. If her brother was gay she would be the one he told, not Pixel.

"It's the truth!" She cried.

"Pixel knows what she saw." Zane agreed.

"It's childish and pathetic! Just pluck the worst thing she could think of out of the air and throw it at my brother and friend because you're ashamed." Nya hissed, missing the way Kai and Cole flinched at her choice of words.

"What's the matter Pixel? Gone from beast hunting to queer hunting?" Harumi suddenly mocked and the crowd started laughing loudly as Cole and Kai snuck away, unable to deal with this anymore, just as a teacher appeared and made all the students go to their classes. They walked until they found themselves alone near the back of the school.

"Cole, talk to me!" Kai pleaded.

"My Dad is gonna find out! What are we gonna do?" He cried but Kai couldn't come up with a decent answer and for the rest of the day Cole, Kai and Pixel were the talks of the entire school. While many of the students and even some teachers were trying to find out whether Cole and Kai really were a couple a few were trying to get more information about Pixel supposedly hiding cameras in her friends' home. Some, mainly Harumi and Chad started spreading horrible rumors about her.

It got to the point where Pixel left school early in tears...

* * *

That night, Kai was slumped on his couch in his and Nya's apartment thinking about his relationship with Cole. They had been staying at least ten feet away from each other all day but that did nothing to stop the gossip. All-day Zane had been giving them disapproving glares. He knew Pixel wouldn't lie about something like that and they both just stood there and let the others call her a liar. The guilt was eating away at them but they didn't have the courage to say anything.

Kai had been trying to text Cole but he hadn't responded to any of his messages.

As soon as they had gotten home Nya told their parents what Pixel had said about Kai and Cole and like their daughter, they didn't believe a word of it. Right now, it was just Kai, Nya, and Ray in the apartment. Maya was out at some kind of ladies' night. When Nya walked past, she saw her brother's sad face and she gave him a hug.

"Try not to let it bother you, no one here believes you're not normal." She pressured, failing to see her brother's hurt look as she went to her room. As soon as they were alone, Ray took a seat next to his son and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Listen, son, you if there was anything you wanted to get off your chest you could tell me right?" He asked.

"Yeah, I know." He sighed, not meeting his father's gaze.

"You're my little boy, and I'll stand by you; nothing will make me turn my back on you or your sister." He reassured. "Sometimes things get hard and the longer you stay quiet about it the harder things become; and I can tell something's bothering you, 'cause I know you better than anybody."

"Dad..." He sniffed as tears welled in his eyes. "You don't know me."

"What do you mean?"

"People shouldn't be harassing Pixel like this."

"She shouldn't be telling lies."

"She wasn't." He muttered and finally looked at his father, the man who gave him life and raised him, in the eyes. "I'm so sorry."

"Sorry?"

"Please don't hate me."

"Telling me what it is son if I don't know I can't help." He pleaded as Kai started sobbing quietly.

"Cole and me, what Pixel said, it's true." He finally admitted. "We're together."...


	8. PR Strategy

It was the day after Pixel had told everyone in school that not only were Cole and Kai gay but they were dating each other, but thankfully no one except Zane believed her. Only Pixel, Cole, Kai, Zane, and now Ray knew the truth. It was Saturday now but that didn't stop the teenage gossip. All night long Kai and Nya's cell phones had been blowing up with dozens of texts and calls from friends and people they hardly knew, asking them if it was true.

Kai had ignored it all, however, and was keeping an eye out for a message from Cole.

Unfortunately, the raven-haired teenager hadn't been in touch yet. It was really worrying for Kai but he didn't know whether it would be a good idea to go to his house or not. Thankfully Lou was away for the month with his dance group so there was a very good chance he hadn't heard the rumors about his son and Kai. That morning, while they were having breakfast, Nya wouldn't stop talking about it.

"I could PR this for you." She offered her brother, who was glaring a hole into his toast.

"Don't talk nonsense," Ray replied on his son's behalf.

"He doesn't any PR." Maya agreed.

"Everybody at school thinks I've got a gay brother!"

"How is this now about you?" Kai scowled.

"Pixel Borg is just using this rumor she's started as a smokescreen to glaze over what she's done; if it wasn't for the fact her videos and research were on us being werewolves we would have reported her to the police." Maya frowned. "She's making these nasty accusations because she knows she guilty; there are no queers in this house thank you very much." She added as Nya laughed. Neither woman saw the hurt loom on Kai's face or the angry one on Ray's.

This was what Kai was so afraid of.

His family hating and mocking him for something he had no control over. Unable to stand another second of his mother and sister unknowingly hurting him, Kai grabbed his breakfast and rushed to his room where he could be alone. He stayed in there for most of the morning until he heard Maya and Nya leave and a few minutes later his father walked into his room. He sat on the bed next to Kai and wrapped his arm around his little boy's shoulders.

"I'm sorry about that." He sighed. "I just thought you'd want me to stay quiet."

"Yeah, definitely." He mumbled. "You heard Mom, 'nasty accusations', like being gay is disgusting."

"Kai, you're young, you don't know what you are yet." Ray sighed and Kai turned to him with a glare.

"Dad I am in love with another guy and you're the one who's confused about that, not me!" He growled but Ray still had a comforting smile and a calm expression on his tired face.

"I'm sorry, I might say the wrong thing now and again, but remember this is still pretty new to me as well you know."

"Just don't call me confused because that is really offensive and Cole's not confused either, he's just scared in case his dad finds out."

"And were you scared of telling me?"

"Yeah, I guess I just didn't want you to be disappointed in me."

"That can never happen." He promised. "But this could be a faze or something you're going through."

"Look, Dad, you know you're straight and I know I'm not."

"Come here." Ray smiled and pulled his son into a hug. "You underestimate your mother and sister, you know."

"No!" Kai exclaimed as he pulled away. "Dad please, Mom will get mad, and then Nya will try and stop me from seeing Cole!"

"Your mother will be really hurt if you don't say anything."

"No Dad you can't tell anyone!" He pleaded as tears welled up in his eyes. Ray just sighed and used his sleeve to wipe his son's tears away.

"Hand on heart, you've never disappointed me, you wouldn't know how to." He said. "I respect you and I'll always support you."

"Will you be happy for me?"

"I'll get there." He admitted and pulled Kai into another hug, allowing the emotional teen to sob into his shoulder...

* * *

Maya sighed as she walked around the mall, enjoying the sales. This was something she needed after all the stress currently in her life. With her and Ray's jobs, her children, their secret, Morro, Skylor, and now Pixel and her lies it was a miracle Maya hadn't gone grey. She had no problem with homosexual people, some of her friends were gay but it was a big difference with her own child. Anyway, if Kai or Nya were gay they would talk to her before anything else.

The mother was sure of it.

Feeling a headache growing, she sighed as she paid for her items and headed down to the car park where she found Ray waiting for her with the car. He had offered to give her a lift home after he had dropped Kai off somewhere in the city to meet his friends. Normally Nya would come on these shopping trips with her mother but the teen said she had homework to take care of. As they were putting her bags in the trunk of the car, Maya's eyes wandered over to the entrance of the mall and narrowed when she saw Pixel and Zane.

The red mist descended and she immediately made her way over to the teens before her husband could stop her.

As soon as the couple saw the older woman approaching them they wanted to run but knew it was too late.

"Call my son gay again and I will have you arrested for slander!" She spat venomously.

"That's enough Maya!" Ray exclaimed as he grabbed her arm and dragged her away, sending the teens an apologetic look as he did so.

"It wouldn't hurt if you backed me up and defended your son's good name." She glared as Ray drove them home. He was getting sick of his wife and daughter unintentionally hurting his son. He loved his children and refused to allow anyone to harm them, even if that person was the woman he loved. He stopped the car, much to Maya's confusion, but didn't face her.

"Would it be so bad?" He asked quietly, but she heard it.

"What?"

"I'm serious." He said more clearly. "If you found out Kai was gay would your whole world shatter?"

"W-What are you saying?"

"Pixel's right." He sighed and turned to face her, knowing he had betrayed his son's trust but it needed to be done. "Cole's more than his friend, they're a couple." He said and Maya froze. It took her a moment to fully comprehend what he had just told her about her baby boy.

"H-He's just confused."

"He didn't sound confused to me!"

"It's just teenage hormones!" She argued. "Cole will have just led him on."

"Kai said they're in love!"

"Why did he confide in you and not in me?!"

"You said Pixel has been making nasty accusations!" He exclaimed and Maya's eyes widened in horror when she realized what she had been doing to her own son, even if it was unintentional. Upon seeing his wife's distress look, Ray sighed and calmed down. "Look, he's got it off his chest now, it can't have been easy for him."

"Oh Ray, life's hard enough when you're straight." She said with a sad sigh. "His life is going to be so much harder."...

* * *

Kai looked around nervously as he entered the Ying Yang cafe. He couldn't help but think everyone was looking and whispering about him and Cole. It was incredibly nerve-racking but he took a deep breath to steady himself before casually walked over to their group's usual booth where Cole was waiting for him. He was so relieved when the larger teen asked to meet him but it also worried him. He was scared this was getting too much for Cole and he was breaking up with him.

They were the only ones there.

They had somethings they had to talk about. Cole had already ordered some coffee but neither of them was really in the mood for a drink. It was a very tense situation for both of them

"Have you been crying?" Cole asked when he saw how red his eyes were.

"Yeah." He sighed. "Look, Cole... I told my Dad it's true."

"What?!"

"I needed to!"

"I needed you to keep your mouth shut!" He hissed. "We said we'd deny all of it!"

"Cole he's my Dad." He glared. "I wanted to and he didn't freak out and he said he still loves me."

"Well, I'm happy for you." He smirked coldly.

"He wants me to tell my Mom."

"Oh I know, why don't we hire out the city hall and make a big announcement to the whole city!?"

"I know he'll end up telling her and when she finds out I'll probably never see you again." He whimpered fearfully.

"You can visit my grave after my Dad's murdered me!" He growled just as Harumi walked into the cafe and saw them alone together. It took her a second to take in the scene before she burst out laughing.

"Aw is this a date?" She smirked and then left them alone to order something.

"It's just gonna get worse and worse," Cole growled. "I can't stop seeing you though."

"Same," Kai mumbled and Cole suddenly gasped when he was hit with an idea.

"Why don't we just disappear?" He suggested.

"You mean run away?"

"It's the only way we can stay together." He said and Kai thought about it for a moment. The last time he tried to run away it didn't end up so well, but back then he wasn't in his right mind and he was alone and traveling on foot. This time he would have Cole with him and they would have Cole's car. After a few minutes of careful consideration, he smiled and nodded. They both giggled in excitement and went home to start packing.

As soon as Kai arrived at his and Nya's apartment he immediately picked up his sister's scent, signaling that she was home but his parents were nowhere to be found, yet anyway.

Not wasting any time, Kai quickly rushed to his room and started throwing things like most of his clothes and a few personal items into a suitcase and a large rucksack.

He had already written his family a goodbye note and left it in his room for them to find. He was halfway through packing when he heard footsteps approaching his door and saw Nya standing in the doorway. Kai didn't care however and just went back to packing his things. Nya watched him in confusion for a moment, trying to understand what was going on until she saw the note on his bed. She gasped when she read it and it suddenly hit her.

"Please tell me you're not running away?!" She cried.

"Got it in one," Kai mumbled as tears welled up in his eyes, knowing this could be the last time he was in this room again.

"I'm sorry Kai but you're gonna have to endure it or else people are gonna think it's true."

"IT IS TRUE!" He screamed as he turned to face his sister, tears streaming down his face. "I AM IN LOVE WITH COLE AND IF WE STAY HERE PEOPLE ARE GONNA TRY AND SPLIT US UP!" He sobbed as Nya looked at him in shock.

"Kai... why didn't you tell me?" She asked, feeling her own tears threatening to spill.

"I-I don't know!"

"But I'm your sister."

"This is the time when people go all weird on you isn't it?" He chuckled bitterly through tears. "'Cause apparently I need a PR strategy because I've been called the worst thing in the world!"

"Kai I would NEVER have said any of those things if I had known!" She insisted as she pulled her brother into a hug. "I wish I was the kind of sister you feel you could talk to."

"Yeah, well you are... now." He muttered as Nya pulled away and wiped his tears away. Seeing there was nothing she could do to stop him from leaving, Nya quickly pulled out her purse and handed him some cash.

"It's all I've got on me."

"Thank you." He sobbed as he pocketed the money and hugged her. "Tell Mom and Dad not to worry, I'll be fine." He promised and with that, he grabbed his bags gave his sister a kiss on the cheek goodbye and rushing out of the apartment to meet Cole. About an hour later Ray and Maya returned home to find Nya on the couch, her eyes red from crying. She was clutching the note Kai left in her hand.

"Is Kai not back yet?" Ray asked when he failed to pick up his son's scent in the apartment.

"He left you this." Was all the teen said and handed her mother the note. As soon as Maya read what it said she burst into tears.

"Ray we're too late." She sobbed loudly.

"Where have they gone?" He immediately asked his daughter.

"I don't know."

"When did he go?!" Maya cried.

"About an hour ago." She admitted. "He went to see Cole! He was happy!"

"He'd rather sleep on the streets than stay here?!" Maya screamed and Ray quickly pulled her into a hug, allowing her to cry into his shoulder. "I want my baby to come home." She sobbed loudly...

* * *

Kai and Cole giggled like excited children on Christmas day as the brunette threw his bags in the back of the car next to Cole's. They were both excited and yet scared at the same time at the thought of starting this new life together. They were finally going to get out of this city and everyone who knew them. It was sad but also a relief to be given a fresh start.

"So, I was thinking we could go to Ignacia City?" Cole suggested.

"Why?" Kai asked.

"There are dozens of jobs there for teenagers, I checked." He replied. "How much money have you got?"

"Thirty dollars, Nya gave it to me."

"She knows you've run away?!"

"She knows everything." He admitted. "Before you started she was really supportive, she even emptied out her purse for us."

"Wish I had a sister." Cole sighed.

"You can share mine." Kai smiled and they shared a kiss before setting off for their new life together...


	9. Confrontations

It had been almost twenty-four hours since Cole and Kai had run away and soon the Smiths could finally file a missing person report. Nya and her parents had all spent a restless night worrying about Kai and they had tried contacting Lou, but there was no response. They had tried to call Kai but he had left his phone at the apartment and Cole wasn't answering either. They had tried calling all the people Kai knew but no one had seen him.

Ray and Maya had been driving around for hours, trying to pick up either Kai or Cole's scent.

It became was very clear, however, that they had taken Cole's car and it was impossible for them to track them down alone. They would have to call the police if they wanted their son home safe and sound.

"Ok, just let me know if he gets in touch." Maya sighed as she hung up on another dead end.

"Still nothing?" Ray asked and she shook her head. They were getting so desperate that they had started ringing people Kai hardly knew. "At least they know to keep an eye out for them." He sighed.

"This is all a waste of time." She muttered. "If he was with somebody responsible they would have called now and said he was alright."

"It's 8 am, if he arrived somewhere late last night-"

"They still would have called!" She snapped as tears welled up in her eyes. "This is all my fault."

"No, it's not."

"If he hadn't been terrified about what I'd say..."

"Maya stop blaming yourself." Ray sighed as Nya walked into the living room.

"No news?" She asked when she saw the sad looks on her parents' faces. They could only shake their heads, unable to find the words. "He'll soon come to his senses."

"Nya's right."

"And if something happens to him before then?" Maya asked, but Ray and Nya didn't know what to say...

* * *

Pixel sighed as she and Zane snuggled up on her sofa, watching a movie. She felt incredibly guilty for outing Cole and Kai but no one believed her. She wished she could just forget all about their relationship and the fact her friends were werewolves. Then she wouldn't have put the cameras in the dens and then none of her friends would be boycotting her now. As they were halfway through the movie Zane's phone buzzed, signaling that he received a new message.

"What's wrong?" She asked when she saw his shocked face.

"It's from Lloyd, apparently Cole and Kai have run away from home because everyone's accusing them of being gay." He replied.

"When was this?"

"Last night."

"Another thing for Nya to shout at me for I suppose." She sighed.

"You didn't make them gay."

"No, but I did blow their cover." She mumbled. "I wish" I could run away sometimes."...

* * *

"What is 'gay'?" Skylor suddenly asked Lloyd and Morro. They had come over to her caravan after they had promised to help her fix it up some it was more livable in the long term. While they had been working, the two boys had been talking about the recent rumors about Cole and Kai being a couple, not realizing Skylor had been listening in. As soon as she asked the question, both boys froze and dropped the tools they had been using.

They had no idea if wild werewolves accepted gay and lesbian people.

"W-What do you mean?" Lloyd gulped.

"What do you mean that Kai and Cole are gay? What does it even me?" She asked, more irritated than before. Both boys shared a worried look before quickly doing rock, paper, scissors to determine who would tell her. Morro cursed loudly when he lost and he took a few moments to find the right words while Lloyd was internally cheering at his victory.

"I-It means... they like each other."

"Really?" She frowned in confusion. "Well, I like them to but I'm not about to run away because of it."

"No I mean... they love each other." He said quietly but to his and Lloyd's shock, she just shrugged like it was nothing.

"Again, what's the problem?"

"Do have same-sex couples in the wild?" Lloyd asked.

"Yes, as long as they don't be unfaithful to their mates then there's no problem." She replied and Lloyd and Morro quickly relaxed. At least Kai and Cole wouldn't have to worry about Skylor hating them if they did return...

* * *

That afternoon Jay invited Nya to the cafe to help her relax. Everyone in their pack was worried about Cole and Kai, especially with the full moon approaching. Ray and Maya had just finished talking to the police but it wasn't looking good. During their talk with the police, it became clear to them that the officer talking to them wasn't taking this seriously. As far as the officer was concerned Kai and Cole were just some more runaway teenagers.

They had promised to file a missing person's report but said that teenagers that ran away usually came back quickly.

This did nothing to ease Nya or her parents so she snapped up the chance to get out of that apartment. She had yet to tell her parents that she had seen Kai when he was packing but didn't stop him. She and Jay were trying to enjoy their coffees at the Ying Yang cafe but Nya couldn't stop worrying about her brother and his boyfriend. She could stop glaring at the thought of Pixel. If she hadn't told everyone they were gay and allowed them to come out in their own time they wouldn't have run away like this.

"Cole's a clever guy." Jay suddenly said, making her jump slightly. "Kai's the same, they're not gonna do anything stupid."

"If only I'd realized what they were going through." She muttered in shame.

"Nya, you couldn't have known any of this, stop reproaching yourself." He reassured just as Skylor and her friends walked into the cafe.

"Hey Nya, where's the gay brigade?" Skylor smirked while her friends laughed and Nya scowled at them.

"Probably at a gay bar feeling up all the men." Maggie cackled.

"Come on, we don't need to listen to this." Jay sighed and began to lead Nya out of the cafe.

"Better watch out Nya." Harumi snickered. "Your brother might try taking your boyfriend awa-AH!" The lead cheerleader suddenly screamed when she was grabbed by Nya and pinned to a table, spilling the drinks and food all over the floor. Everyone instantly backed away from the two teenage girls, too scared to get caught in the middle of their fight. Nya tightly gripped Harumi's hair and forced the quivering diva to look her straight in the eyes.

"I will only say this once so listen good, I'm proud of my brother because he's a good person with a good heart and that's something a worthless bitch like you will never understand!" She roared into her face. "I swear if I hear you mocking my brother or Cole again I'll kick your ass all the way to the fucking morgue!" She screamed before shoving Harumi into the table one last time and then she casually walked out of the cafe. Jay cast a look to the frightened crowd before quickly following his girlfriend.

Harumi just stayed lying on the table, too scared to even blink...

* * *

Nya growled in anger as she slumped on the couch in her apartment. She had heard Jay trying to catch up to her, but she had just gotten on her bike and drove about home. She wasn't in the mood to talk to people right now. Her eyes were burning yellow and her veins had darkened by the time she had gotten home. It was a miracle that she hadn't transformed into a wolf at the cafe. She wanted to rip Harumi's throat out for all those nasty things she and her gang had been saying about her brother and Cole.

It was people like Harumi who made them run away in the first place.

She had just started to calm down when her cellphone started ringing loudly. Probably more people wanting to know the gossip. Without looking at the caller ID she answered, ready to scream at the person on the other end.

"WHAT?!" She bellowed.

 _ **"...Nya?"**_ Her brother's voice asked in fear at her tone.

"KAI?!" She gasped. "Where are you?! Are you alright?!" She questioned, not noticing her parents walking into the apartment.

_**"I'm fine."** _

"Mom and Dad have been going crazy! They've called the police and everything!"

_**"Tell them I'm fine and they don't have to worry."** _

"Is Cole with you?" She asked, catching her parents' attention.

"Is that Kai?!" Maya cried and before Nya could react she pulled the phone out of her daughter's hands. "Kai is that you?!"

_**"M-Mom?"** _

"Yes, baby it's me!" Maya nearly sobbed in relief but not even three seconds later the phone beeped and Maya's eyes widened in horror. As soon as he realized his mother was on the phone he had hung up. Ray immediately took the phone and tried calling him back but there was no answer. While he was trying to figure out where the call came from, Maya was trying to see if Nya had gotten any information out of her brother.

"Are you sure he didn't give any clue where he was?" She asked but Nya just shook her head. "Well didn't you think to ask him?"

"I might have done if you hadn't snatched the phone off me!" She snapped.

"I can't believe he hung up on me." She sighed. "Why didn't you tell him I wasn't angry?"

"If I hadn't made her promise to call I doubt he would have called in the first place!"

"What?!" Both her parents cried.

"I saw him when he was packing his things." She sighed, seeing no point in keeping it a secret.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Ray glared.

"Why didn't you stop him?!" Maya shouted.

"There was no stopping him! He was determined to go and you know what? I don't blame!" She snapped. "He knew that you wouldn't understand and he was right!"

"That's not true!" She scoffed. "There's nothing he could do that I wouldn't forgive!"

"Mom, he's done nothing to forgive!" She growled in frustration. "He just wants to be himself and you can't accept that and he knows it."

"Well, how does he expect me to react?! Does he want me to throw a coming-out party or something?!" Maya exclaimed.

"He just wants to feel loved."

"He is and he always will be but he's a child!" She argued. "He's too young to be making decisions like this."

"Mom it isn't a decision."

"That's what it usually is with teenagers, all these fads and fazes that they grow out of."

"You can't just grow out of your sexuality."

"Someone just picked up!" Ray suddenly exclaimed. "It's a payphone out if town, you two stay here." He said before grabbing his keys and leaving the two women alone in the apartment. They waited in uncomfortable silence for over an hour until one of them finally spoke.

"It could be worse Mom." Nya shrugged. "I mean, at least Kai's still into manly things like sports."

"What?"

"Well, he's still very masculine." She added. "He's not wearing makeup and acting as a huge diva."

"And you lecture me on prejudice?" She asked her daughter in disbelief as Ray ran back into the apartment.

"No luck." He growled as he sat next to his wife on the couch. "The payphone was next to a gas station near a highway, they could be anywhere now."

"They're going to be sleep god knows where and it's dangerous on the streets at night let alone for a young teenager and the full moon is nearly here!" Maya cried as tears welled up in her eyes. "I just want him home."...


	10. Together Until The End

Ray sighed as he and Maya curled up on the couch. It was the night of the full moon and he hoped that Kai and Cole came to their senses before it was too late and their secret was exposed. There was still no sign of either of them and none of their friends or Nya had received any more calls. Ray had called all their relatives he could think of that the boys might have been staying with. Unfortunately, there was still nothing but at least they all knew to keep an eye out.

However, Ray and Maya had failed to mention to any of their relatives why Kai and Cole had run away.

That was something that didn't sit right with Nya. She had even gone as far as to call her own parents homophobic, the stress of everything finally catching up with her. This of course got her grounded for the rest of the month, or until her brother and Cole returned home, which everyone hoped was soon. There were missing person posters for them all around the city. The police had set up a large-scale search but time was running out.

They had to find them quickly before the moon raised or else something bad could happen, not only to both of them but to the werewolf secret as well.

Maya whimpered in worry at the thought of what could happen to her son and his boyfriend. Even though she hardly knew Cole she knew what he meant to Kai and he was a good friend to Nya as well. Seeing his wife's distraught face, he pulled her into a hug, and Maya struggled not to cry...

* * *

Kai sighed as Cole filled up the tank in the car at another gas station. They were running out of money and time before the full moon. They had to find an isolated area, as far away from human contact as they could get, or else who knows what could happen to them.

"What do we do now?" Kai asked as they paid for the gas and started driving again.

"I don't know." Cole sighed.

"We can't go back home." He groaned, not willing to throw in the towel yet. "How far should we go?"

"We can go as far as you want to, babe." Cole smiled loving at him and they drove in silence for half an hour until they pulled up outside a diner on the side of the road, near a small forest. They ordered some food, only something small however because they were running low on money and started eating, trying to think of their next move.

"We have to find somewhere to stay." Kai sighed before nibbling on some fries.

"You know... the world sure seems big when you can go anyplace..." Cole mumbled as he took a bite out of his burger. As they continued eating, the man behind the counter turned on the TV to the news channel.

 _ **"Authorities are still looking for teenagers Cole Brookstone and Kai Smith, both disappeared in the afternoon almost a week ago."**_ The woman on the TV said, causing the young couple to freeze and turn to the TV. _**"The mother of Kai Smith has issued this emotional plead."**_

"Oh shit," Kai mumbled, beyond shocked, as his mother appeared on the TV.

 _ **"Kai, darling..."**_ She sobbed loudly as tears rolled down her cheeks. **_"Your father and I are worried about you! Please come_ home!"** She begged as two images of Kai and Cole appeared on the screen. They both grabbed what was left of their food and hit the trail again before anyone in the diner recognized them and called the cops.

"You're parents must be pretty worried." Cole suddenly said.

"Yeah, I wonder if your Dad's heard about this?"

"Don't it." He huffed. "He's never worried when I need him to be." He growled as his grip on the steering wheel tightened at the thought of his father. They were dragged out of their thoughts, however, when an odd sound reached their ears. Cole stopped the car and looked in the rearview mirror, only to gasp when he saw police helicopters behind them. Someone from the diner must have recognized them from the news and called the police.

Thinking quickly, Cole drove into the treeline on the side of the road and vanished into the forest.

The helicopter pilots suspected nothing as they flew away. Kai sighed as he watched the blurs of greens and dark browns flash past them as Cole sped down the dark and bumpy forest trail.

"Guess everybody's looking for us." He said as he finished his food.

"We won't be too easy to find," Cole reassured. "It's a big planet."

"Yeah, we could hideout for a long time, they might stop looking for us."

"Let's look around." Cole suddenly said as he pulled up in the middle of the forest. It was getting closer to moonrise and they needed to find somewhere to transform and spend the night. Remembering where they had parked, they get out and left to explore. Soon they reached a small waterfall. They quickly started climbing it, with Cole reaching the top rather quickly. The raven-haired teen watched his smaller boyfriend as he attempted to scale it.

He tried to climb up but there was a rock that is just out of Kai's reach.

Cole stretched out his hand, and Kai quickly grabbed hold of it just as the rock under his feet gave out. The brunette let out a gasp of fear but Cole pulled him to safety and gave him a wink. Kai could only blush slightly and he gave him a small kiss on the cheek to say thank you. They continued walking and as they were climbing a hill Kai looked at the sky and fear started to set in his stomach. The son was almost completely gone and a few stars were starting to appear.

He was so distracted by his fear that he ended up stumbling over a stone hidden in the grass of the hill.

He fell to the ground with a grunt and upon hearing his boyfriend's surprised gasp, Cole rushed to his side and tried to help him to his feet, but Kai quickly pushed him off. They continued walking and stopped at the top of the hill. Their jaws dropped open at what they saw. They were looking at a magnificent lake near a forest at the base of a mountain range. By the lovely blue lake was an expensive-looking villa with a dock and shed that must have contained boats for the lake.

They guessed it was a vacation spot for a rich family or something like that.

They took a quick sniff around but thankfully they were alone. Knowing they had just a couple of hours before moonrise and there was little chance of finding out, the couple walked towards the villa. Kai tried the lock on the front door but to no avail. It was locked with a padlock and chain. He considered breaking a window to get in but quickly dismissed that thought and instead he simply looked in the window to see what was inside.

Everything was covered in cobwebs and some of the furniture had dust covers on.

Just then he heard a loud metal clank and he turned to see Cole holding the now broken chain. The larger teen gave a sheepish thumbs-up and they went inside. It was dark, cold and dust inside but anything was better than spending another night sleeping in the car. With an exhausted sigh, they both collapsed onto the dusty loveseat, wanting to get some rest before it was time for them to transform. As they waited, Kai started shivering from the cold.

Cole quickly pulled him into an embrace, trying to keep his boyfriend warm.

His eyes wandered to the dark, empty fireplace and, even though their inner wolves growled at the thought, they both would murder for the warmth of a fire. That or just their own beds, a warm meal, or a refreshing shower. Kai almost cried at the thought of home. He missed all of that but mostly, he missed his friends and family. He wanted to go back home but he knew Cole was too scared to and there was no way he was leaving Cole here alone to fend for himself.

Cole saw the sorrowful look on Kai's face but before he could comfort him they both tensed when they felt a familiar sensation.

They quickly went outside, not wanting to transform inside the villa. Nervously, Cole and Kai looked up at the shining full moon that reflected in the water as their hair flowed in the cold night wind. As they waited for their bodies to change Kai looked to Cole, who gave him reassuring smile. Their eyes turned a luminous yellow and the veins in their hands and necks darkened, revealing themselves in the pale moonlight. Kai's hands started shaking in fear or from the cold, it was anyone's guess.

Cole gently took hold of his boyfriend's had and gave it a comforting squeeze as the two of them blushed as they looked into each other's eyes.

Suddenly, he and Kai gasped as they felt a strange freezing shiver ripple throughout their whole bodies. Before they realized what was happening, they felt their bodies start to shrink as their cells rearranged themselves. After they had transformed they shook off the few clothing left on them. The two wolves circled each other, taking in each other's unique scents until they couldn't contain their excitement anymore. They both howled to the moon glowing above them, light dancing across the lake's water.

The sound echoed across the land before they set off running into the forest...

* * *

Kai ran blindly into the surrounding forest as Cole ran in the opposite direction. Trees, rocks, and wildlife alike were all just a blur to the teen-turned-wolf as he ran with the wind in his fur. For a few moments, it felt all his worries had just disappeared. He knew it was petty and childish running away like he had but he honestly couldn't bring himself to care. The pressure of being the best son and brother, having to be perfect in every way, had been building for some time now.

Kai wasn't even surprised that he'd finally snapped.

He was fifteen for God's sake, he shouldn't have to deal with all these problems. It was times like these that the brunette longed for a normal life. A life without all this drama, even a life without werewolf powers. He wondered what his life would have been like if he'd been born a normal human like the other kids at his school. Would he and the others still be friends? Would he still love Cole? Kai grumbled, pushing his way through the undergrowth of the forest.

He would always love Cole, powers, or not.

It was then he realized he had run way too far into the dense trees. Before, back in Ninjago, Zane always warned him and the others of the wild feral animals such as bears and cougars that lurked deeper within the trees. No one really believed him about those warnings but they didn't want to risk it. Even in wolf form, the thought of being attacked by vicious feral animals had always been enough to prevent Kai from venturing too far.

But this wasn't the forest they knew, maybe there were no dangerous animals, aside from him and Cole, roaming the area.

The villa was a nice place to stay, at least until the original owners returned. It was isolated, had shelter and with their instincts, they could hunt all the food they could eat. He knew no one would think to look for him or Cole here which was why it was the perfect place to hide. Those were his thoughts right up until he stepped forward into a clearing beside a small cliff face. His left back leg disappeared into the slightly long grass when quiet unexpectedly, pain flared through his paw.

The pained cry that left his muzzle was bloodcurdling, sending a few birds into a panicked flight and nearby deer running for cover.

But Kai did not notice any of this, however. All he could see and think of was the blinding white-hot pain emanating from his back left leg. He didn't want to look down, didn't want to see what had caused him such agony, but the young wolf knew he had too. Scared yellow eyes glanced down and suddenly Kai felt his stomach wanting to expel all of its contents on the grassy ground. A fox trap with razor-sharp metal teeth had clapped firmly over part of his back left leg, crushing his paw, almost beyond recognition.

Bright crimson blood was gushing from the wound, turning the lush green grass and his brown fur a sickening red.

Kai tried to move, intending on pulling his injured leg free from the brutal metal jaws. But as soon as his leg moved in the fox trap blazing daggers of hot pain shot through his mangled paw. His cry of pain wasn't as loud as the first one and after the pain had ebbed away Kai was left panting and trembling in shock and anguish. This kind of pain, it was the worst Kai had ever felt in his entire life. It was worse than when he was four and he'd fractured his arm when he fell out a tree trying to impress Nya.

Worse than when he'd dislocated his shoulder from arm wrestling with Cole when they were twelve.

Kai laid back down in the grass, trying not to move his trapped leg for even the tiniest twitch sent pain shooting through his body. He snuck another glance at his trapped appendage, feeling the need to be ill once more as he examined the wound. He knew for certain that his ankle would be badly broken when he returned to human form. The fragile bone having been certainly crushed when the fox trap had first clamped down on the limb.

Unconsciously, Kai let out a tiny whimper, a sound brought on by a mixture of pain and fear.

He was out in the middle of nowhere, trapped in a fox trap, bleeding, and alone with no clue where Cole was. Every little noise had him tensing, teeth bared in defense and fear. He kept thinking that a bear or mountain lion had smelt his blood and had come looking for an easy meal...

* * *

Cole gave a loud growl as he zoomed through the deepest part of the forest, chasing after a fast white rabbit. It was no secret that during the full moon he and the others, during the full moons at Zane's house, full moon allowed their most primal and buried instincts to rise to the surface. On more than one occasion they would find themselves hunting and eating a few woodland creatures. They all found it very disgusting the next morning and never brought it up again.

That's why they had started putting more meat in the den to prevent that from happening in the future.

Sadly they weren't at Zane's house for the full moon now and they were running out of food, gas, clean clothes, and money. But it seemed their luck was finally turning around for the better. He had come to the conclusion that the villa deep in the forest would allow him and Kai remained hidden from the rest of the world and the people looking for them. Until whoever the villa belonged to came back that is. They had time to rest and come up with a plan before that happened.

Cole was so caught up in his thoughts, however, that he ended up losing the rabbit.

He zipped through the many trees, angrily scanning the ground beneath him for the slightest glimpse of his prey but found nothing, it was like the rabbit had vanished. In fact, now that Cole listened more closely, he realized there was hardly any wildlife in this part of the forest. At first, he thought it was because of the villa but he was currently far enough away from the villa. The large black wolf was prepared to turn back the way he came, feeling the need for some food and a good night's rest, when a faint sound reached his ears.

It sounded like a whimper, very soft but it was there.

If he could have in this form, he would have frowned, confused as to what could make such a sound this deep in the forest. He listened for more sound but nothing happens. He was ready to brush it aside as the wind when it came again, this time louder and most certainly filled with pain. Curiosity eventually got the better of him as he headed in the direction of the sounds. Cole didn't have to go far. He soon came upon a clearing, flanked by a cliff to one side.

It seemed peaceful enough with nothing out of the ordinary bar the overpowering smell of copper.

The black wolf knew immediately that it was blood and lots of it. He briefly wondered if he'd stumbled upon a wild animal's kill when the whimper sounded again, drawing his eyes off to the side where he was met with an awful sight. His boyfriend, Kai Smith, lay before him, crumpled on his side. His yellow eyes were glassy, overcome by pain and blood loss. His breathing was hurried and erratic, a clear sign of shock, but the worst part for Cole to see was his left back leg.

The fox trap had ripped right through the brown fur and skin like they were made of paper.

Some of the blood had hardened slightly but the wound still continued to ooze, coating the fox trap and surround ground in a dark crimson liquid. The disturbing sight left Cole blinking in muted horror. His mind was racing as to how Kai got caught in such an inhuman device. They were usually very careful in case of these kinds of things. The only explanation was that a human was hunting illegally, quite possibly the owners of the villa.

They must have thought that because no one ventured out this far there would be no risk of someone getting caught by accident.

Obviously, that logic had failed. Shaking himself out of his shocked stupor, Cole began to cautiously approach the wounded wolf. He wasn't stupid, he knew werewolves, despite having evolved greatly over the years, were still animals. They retained many of their feral instincts that would surface when they were under extreme stress or in a great amount of pain. During a full moon, all those feral instincts were dialed up to eleven thousand.

Kai was probably both in pain and frightened, the mix making for a dangerous situation if Cole wasn't careful.

Just like he predicted, as soon as Kai became aware of his presence, the smaller wolf started to growl aggressively, sharp teeth bared and eyes darting around as a clear show of aggression. Ignoring these warning signs, Cole stepped closer, eliciting a deeper growl from his clearly terrified boyfriend. Kai probably didn't even recognize him, driven purely on instinct. Cole moved closer towards his lover, intending to use his teeth to remove the disgusting contraption from the smaller wolf's leg, only to yelp when a pair of jaws nearly clamped themselves on his snout.

He pulled back scowling at Kai who seemed to glare back with just as much hate, clouded by fear.

The bright yellow eyes unnerved Cole but he shook the feelings away. Kai snarled but some of the haze seemed to lift from his eyes at the sight of his boyfriend's wolf form. The larger wolf yipped in joy at this, eyes narrowing when the brunette flinched suddenly, a soft cry escaping his muzzle. Slowly, ever so slowly, the haze lifted and Cole saw the recognition in Kai's eyes. Kai blinked up at Cole, confused and still in pain. He tried moving his trapped leg, crying out as he did so and the sound had Cole flinching slightly.

He had to help Kai before he bled out.

As he got a closer look at the injury, however, he knew there was no way he could pull Kai's leg free without doing even further damage. He would need human hands to free Kai, but it was too risky to wait until morning. Kai could bleed out by then. He whined loudly as he tried to come up with a plan. He looked up at the moonlit sky and was suddenly hit with an idea. It was incredibly risky and might not even work but he didn't have any choice.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

Almost immediately his body erupted in hot pain, but he didn't lose focus. He thought back and his reasons for doing all of this, his feeling for Kai Smith. Kai was the best thing that happened to Cole's life and although he didn't always know it Cole had loved him from the second he saw the brunette. He loved Kai's fiery personality, his sense of family, and how much Kai loved him. With that in mind, Cole let out a pained gasp as he opened his human eyes.

By some miracle, he had managed turn return to his human form during a full moon.

He wasn't completely human, however. His eyes were still bright yellow and all his veins were black and visible. Instead of human nails, he had long black claws and he could feel his teeth were still sharp and canine-like. Cole could feel his body trying to change back so he had to be quick and at least get Kai free from the trap. Still, in wolf form, Kai watched drowsily as Cole began to reach for his mangled leg, only to pause and bite his lip.

"This is going to hurt like hell, so sorry in advance, baby." The human muttered, his voice strained as he tried to stay in this form.

He saw Kai tense at his words before attempting to relax. The brunette let out a shaky pained whine and Cole nodded, turning back to the task at hand. The raven-haired teen could feel his hands starting to shake with rage as he surveyed the damage done to the limb. The metal teeth had crushed the fragile bone completely while at the same time ripping the surrounding flesh to ribbons. Cole knew he wouldn't have a problem pulling the metal jaws open, it was just going to hurt like hell for Kai.

Taking a deep breath he reached forward, gripping the jaws tightly.

The movement had Kai whimpering, teeth clenched together in an attempt to stop himself from crying out. Wanting to get this over with as quickly as possibly Cole heaved the metal jaws open, cringing at the loud howl of pain that followed. As soon as he was free Kai closed his eyes, breathing heavily as waves of pain raced up his leg. It was like it had just been caught all over again, the pain was unbearable. Cole watched as the body of his lover withered on the ground before he quickly bent over and picked the wolf up.

Kai simply growled in reply, eyes sliding closed only to jerk open when Cole lightly tapped his cheek.

"Don't you dare fall asleep on me babe," Cole warned gently. "You've lost too much blood so falling asleep puts you at risk of falling into a coma." He said and he was sure if Kai was also in human form he would have smiled weakly at the comment and teasing Cole for fussing over him. But right now the brunette was fighting to keep his eyes open. Cole didn't say anything else as he started carrying Kai back to the villa. All he was focused on was getting Kai somewhere safe and warm where he could heal in peace, until morning.

Soon he arrived at the villa and he quickly went inside.

He gently placed Kai on the floor in front of the fireplace, trying not to jolt his injured leg too much, and looking for something to bandage the wound. He had to settle for the light grey curtains. He tore a large piece off, his claws making quick work of the fabric, and he tied it as tightly as he could in an effort to stop the bleeding, wincing as Kai let out a pained yelp. Just then his concentration broke and Cole grunted as his body painfully reverted back into a wolf.

As soon as he shook off the aches and pains in his body, Cole checked Kai over and whimpered as the light grey cloth around his injured leg was turning a dark crimson.

He also noticed Kai had fallen asleep. He started licking Kai's face, trying to wake the smaller wolf up but it did no good. All he could do was curl up next to his injured mate and keep him warm until morning...


	11. Homeward Bound

Kai groaned as he slowly regained his consciousness and the first thing he registered was the fact that he was naked as the day he was born, freezing cold and his left ankle was burning in pain. He groggily opened his dull amber eyes and saw that he was lying on the floor of the empty villa and almost immediately everything from last night came flooding back to him. Slowly sitting up, the spiky-haired brunette groaned as his tired muscles ached.

It was then that he noticed something wrapped loosely around his waist.

He looked down and saw Cole lying next to him with an arm lazily wrapped around his boyfriend's waist. He hadn't left Kai's side the entire night, scared the smaller teen wouldn't wake up. He kept a protective eye on his sleeping boyfriend until the sun rose that morning and Cole couldn't fight his body's need for sleep. Kai moving must have disturbed his own sleep and Kai could see his bushy brows furrowing as the muscular teen tried to either wake up or stay asleep.

Kai slowly tried to move and not to wake Cole up but he cried out loudly in pain when he shifted his left ankle.

He looked and his amber eyes widened when he saw the horrible state his left ankle was in The pale skin of his entire lower leg was smudged with his dried blood and was badly bruised. He couldn't see how bad the injury was because a large piece of once grey fabric, now almost completely stained dark red, was tied tightly around the wound. He knew it was as bad as it felt. He felt the body next to him shift and saw Cole had finally woken up.

As soon as he saw his boyfriend awake, the raven-haired teen shot up and pulled Kai into a tight hug.

"KAI! OH THANK FUCKING GOD, I THOUGHT YOU WEREN'T EVER GONNA WAKE UP! ARE YOU OK?!" He screamed in joy as he pulled away, only for his happy expression to fall when he saw the tears streaming down Kai's cheeks. Everything seemed to finally hit the brunette all at once. His hunger, his cold skin, his fear, and his pain. He honestly thought he was going to die in that fox trap. He thought he'd never see his family or friends again.

It that moment all he wanted for his parents to wrap him in a hug and tell him everything was going to be alright.

"I wanna go home." Kai sobbed loudly and he could only hope Cole wouldn't hate him for this. Cole simply nodded and pulled his trembling boyfriend into a loving embrace. They stayed like that for a few minutes until Kai stopped crying. After they pulled apart, Cole helped Kai get dressed, having to stop himself from throwing up as he tore off another piece of the curtains to re-wrap the wound. As soon as they were both dressed Cole carried Kai bridal style through the forest back to where they had left the car.

Thankfully no one had found Cole's car and all their belongings were still in the trunk.

Cole carefully laid Kai across the back seat of the car while he got behind the wheel. They started driving through the forest and back towards the road. As they drove through the forest, Cole winced at the quiet gasps of pain Kai released as they occasionally ran over a bump. When they finally reached the road they had come from Cole thought they were home free. That is until the large car slowly crept to a stop right in the middle of the empty country road.

Cole growled in frustration when he realized they had finally run out of gas.

They didn't have enough money to get some more and even if they did they were too far away from the nearest gas station. Cole reached into the glove box and pulled out his cell phone and cheered internally when he saw that he still had service and battery life. Not a lot though so he had to make this call count. He looked over his shoulder and saw Kai was starting to fall asleep again. He considered calling an ambulance and taking him to the hospital but quickly pushed that idea away.

A hospital would probably do a blood test to make sure he didn't catch anything in the woods.

Cole just needed to get them back to Ninjago where Dr. Julien could help Kai. There was only one other person he could think of calling...

* * *

Jay sighed as he scrolled through his phone, seeing if there were any apps that could cure his boredom. He was home alone as his parents were out on some sort of date, or so they said but Jay didn't want to think about that. The trailer was silent aside from the dull voice from the radio, talking about how there was still no sign of Kai or Cole yet. Jay sighed as he thought about his two missing friends. Nya had been stressing out about her brother and he was worried too.

Cole was his best friend and he could only hope the raven-haired boy didn't get him or Kai into trouble.

It was clear to everyone that Kai's parents hadn't been getting much sleep since their son's disappearance. But Jay hadn't a clue what Lou Brookstone was thinking about all of this. To be fair Lou had been away with his dance group all the way to another continent. He had just come back last night and had interrogated the Smiths about his son's disappearance. He was aware that Cole and Kai have run away and he is trying to get home but he doesn't know the reason why yet.

Ray and Maya hadn't told him his son was gay and in a romantic relationship with Kai Smith, believing that was something he should hear from Cole.

Jay was surprised that Lou was unaware of his son's sexuality. It seemed that Lou wasn't as worried about them because like Ray and Maya were. According to the human father because they were both werewolves they would be fine. He knew a little bit about wild werewolves so he thought that they would be able to survive out in the wild alone until they come to their senses. It truly baffled Jay and the others to hear what Lou had said about his own son.

He knew Lou liked to bury his head in the sand and ignore it when it came to his son's werewolf side and other werewolf related things.

Jay, however, had hoped he wasn't as dense to think two city kids could suddenly survive out in the wild without any form of preparation for the sudden change. Jay was suddenly dragged out of his worried thoughts, however, when there was a furious banging on the metal door of the junkyard trailer. He quickly opened the door and was shocked to see Nya standing there.

"Jayyouhavetohelpme! ColejustcalledandKai'sinjured!" She screamed so fast that Jay couldn't make out what she was saying.

"Nya, calm down, and tell me what's wrong." He said calmly.

"Cole just called and said they're stranded on Thundercloud Road in Lower East Fleap and Kai's seriously hurt." She cried, still clutching her cell phone so much Jay thought she was going to crush it.

"Don't they have Cole's car?"

"Yeah, but he said they've run out of gas and they haven't got money to buy some more."

"How injured is Kai?"

"Cole didn't say but it sound's serious!" She whimpered at the thought of her brother in pain. Jay quickly pulled her into an embrace. They stayed like that for a few moments before he pulled away and looked her in the eyes.

"What do you want me to do?"...

* * *

Cole sighed as he stood next to the car, waiting for rescue to come. Kai was fast asleep across the back seats of the car and was noticeably paler than he was this morning. That scared Cole greatly. As soon as he had called Nya, after she was done screaming at him, she said she was going to get Jay and call Dr. Julien to tell him about Kai when she saw how serious the injury was. After the battery on his phone died, Cole had been anxiously waiting.

He had been trying to think of what he was going to say to his and Kai's families when they got back to Ninjago City.

Nya had assured him that his father didn't know about his relationship with Kai or why he had run away. Cole was trying to think of what to say to his father. He loved Kai with all his heart but he also loved his dad as well. Lou was the man who raised him and had to be strong for himself and Cole when his mother Lily died. Sure, now that Cole was old enough to take care of himself he spent more time with his dance group but the teen knew Lou loved him.

He could only hope that Lou would accept him and Kai's love.

He was also worried about what Kai's family would say. Ray and Maya were very overprotective of their two children, especially their mother Maya. Cole shuddered at the thought of what they both would do to him when they saw Kai's leg. That is unless Nya didn't kill him first for what happened to Kai. Just as Cole was starting to panic about what he was going to say he heard the sound of two vehicles approaching them. He looked up the road and saw Jay and Nya driving towards him.

They were in two of Jay's parents' vehicles.

Jay was driving a tow truck and Nya was driving an old, beat-up jalopy. As soon as they got out of the two vehicles Cole braced for Nya's harsh words. Instead, she ran past Cole and straight to the car where she screamed when she saw the state of Kai's ankle. Jay went to see what had caused his girlfriend to scream like that and threw up on the road when he got a glimpse of Kai's injuries.

"What the fuck happened." Jay gagged as he wiped his mouth.

"T-There was a-a fox trap in the f-forest." Cole stuttered as he recalled the disturbing memory.

"Cole, carry Kai to the jalopy, he can ride with me and you're going with Jay in the tow-truck." She ordered and Cole knew better than to argue with her. After Cole's car was secured to the tow truck and Kai was safe in the jalopy with Nya the four teens made their way back home to Ninjago City...

* * *

Cole sighed as he ran a hand through his jet black hair. After they had found Cole and Kai, Nya and Jay had taken them straight to Zane's house where his father could treat Kai's injured leg. The old doctor was currently upstairs with Kai while the others waited. Cole wanted to remain by his boyfriend's side but the doctor had insisted he get a shower and some rest. Cole reluctantly agreed and was currently waiting for news with Jay, Nya, and Zane.

The whole time Nya had been giving him death glares from across the table and Cole was dreading what her parents would say.

Ray and Maya had already been called while Dr. Julien was seeing to Kai and they were on their way. While Cole, Jay, and Nya sat waiting in Zane's kitchen the white-haired boy made some soup for Kai when he woke up. He hadn't said anything about why Cole and Ki had run away, saying he was just concerned for Kai's wellbeing. Back upstairs, Dr. Julien frowned at the X-ray he had just taken, clicking his tongue as he looked at the badly broken bone in Kai's leg.

The teen was sleeping peacefully in a nest of blankets he made under the bed he was given.

It had baffled the old man for a moment, wondering why the brunette would want to sleep under the bed and not in it. Then the old man reminded himself that with his injured state Kai was most likely still operating on his feral instincts. The boy obviously hadn't felt safe sleeping in such an exposed place as a bed so had made a nest under it, safely away from prying eyes.

"Father, I have the soup you requested." A voice said from the doorway and Dr. Julien turned to see Zane holding out a small bowl of chicken soup. His son sent a worried glance to the sleeping brunette curled up in his nest before looking back at his father.

"Thank you, Zane." He smiled and gently took the bowl, setting it down on the bedside table. Zane nodded and left before his father started crouching down on his hands and knees, grunting slightly at the effort, reaching under the bed and extracting the injured teen from under it. Kai awoke at the touch, tensing and giving a soft warning growl as he was dragged from his nest and set on the bed. His yellow eyes locked with the doctor, before returning to their normal color as he relaxed.

"Doc...?" He groaned, still half asleep.

"I'm very sorry for the rude awakening Kai but lunch is ready." He said kindly. Kai nodded slowly, nose suddenly at attention as he caught the delicious smell of chicken soup. He was quick to snatch the warm bowl away from Dr. Julien when the man held it out for him, ignoring the spoon in favor of guzzling the tasty hot liquid as fast as he could.

"Thanks, Zane's cooking's the best," Kai muttered still feeling awkward about the whole situation.

"Kai, you're parents have been called and are on their way."

"Did they say anything about me and Cole?"

"I'm not sure, your sister called them and they will be here soon." He said and Kai nodded. After he finished his soup, Kai sighed, looking down at his left leg that sat in a cast. The old man followed his gaze, back straightening as he took on a serious air that had the teen looking up at him warily.

"You will have to rest your leg and not put weight on it for at least six weeks but after that, you'll be able to walk without trouble." He explained. "The cast will cushion your steps and support the bone so it will grow back straight." He added. Kai gently turned his leg back and forth so he could view the white cast from all sides. He held back a laugh when he saw that Cole, Jay, Nya, and Zane had signed their names on it while he'd been asleep.

"I'll keep off it," Kai smirked up at the doctor who merely sighed, standing quickly and taking away the empty bowl. Once Dr. Julien was out of the room Kai quickly laid back in the comfy bed, curling up in his warm blankets...


	12. Awkward Reunion

"WHERE IS MY BABY?!" Maya screamed as she and Ray burst into Zane's house, jolting Kai out of his nap all the way upstairs. He was dazed for a moment and winced at the pain in his injured leg. The pain in his ankle that was once sharp and burning now felt dull and distant. Kai had endured it for far too long until Dr. Julien gave him something and now felt like nothing more than a faint ache. Before he could do anything, however, he heard thundering footsteps approaching his temporary room.

The door suddenly burst open and his parents came running in.

As soon as they saw their son tears welled up in their eyes and they wrapped him in a hug before he could even blink. The sudden movement caused Kai to gasp in pain when they knocked into his cast. As soon as his parents saw he cast Maya started sobbing loudly at the thought of her son being in pain.

"Oh my baby, what happened to you?" She whimpered.

"A...A fox trap." He replied quietly, still unable to process what happened.

"Oh, God." Ray paled at the thought of his son trapped in one of those machines. "Who the fuck would leave such a thing like that out for people to just wander into?!"

"It happened on the full moon." He gulped as tears welled up in his eyes. "I'm so sorry!" He sobbed like a child, dying any shouts his parents had waiting. With that, Ray and Maya pulled him into a hug, allowing him to cry into their shoulders. As soon as Kai had calmed down enough to stop crying, Maya pulled away and wiped the tears off her son's cheeks.

"Don't worry, you're home now." She smiled before her gaze darkened. "But if you do anything like this again you will NEVER leave the apartment without either me or your father present, is that clear?!" She growled, her eyes glowing bright yellow. Kai could only nod frantically, too scared to say anything. This seemed to satisfy his parents and they pulled him back into a hug...

* * *

Noon came very quickly and by that time Nya had called all their friends to tell them Cole and Kai were back. As soon as they heard the news everyone had come to Zane's house to see how they both were, with the exception of Pixel. She and the others still hadn't made peace yet. The only ones who were talking to her were Jay and Zane.

Everyone was enjoying some of Zane's food while they crowded in Kai's temporary room.

They had all signed their names on Kai's cast and no one dared mention how his leg got hurt, knowing how disturbing it was. As they all talked and laughed Cole walked into the room, dressed in some pajamas and his hair wet since he had just come out of the shower. It had only been a few days since his last shower and Cole didn't know how much he missed the warm water.

He didn't know how wild werewolves survived without a shower.

Not only that but the thought of living in the wild with no safe food or with all those dangers made Cole flinch. Hopefully, none of them would ever have to live like that ever again.

"You guys know all those cheesy shampoo adverts? Well, I've seen the light, it smells like home." He smiled happily as he took a seat in the armchair next to his boyfriend.

"You're both very lucky." Lloyd scolded.

"We know and we're sorry we ran away like that," Kai said, shame clear on his face.

"You ran away because of me," Maya muttered sadly. "Because you were scared of what I would say."

"No, I pushed him into it." Cole quickly said. "You're like the most understanding parent ever, unlike my dad." He added and as soon as he mentioned his father, Ray and Maya shared an uneasy look.

"What's wrong?" Morro asked.

"We called Lou while you were in the shower," Ray replied. "He's on his way."

"Why?" Cole gulped fearfully.

"We had to let him know you were ok," Maya explained.

"Well ring him back and say Cole's fine," Nya said only for them all to freeze when they heard the sound of a familiar car approaching. They heard Zane's father open the door and a few minutes later the doctor came into the room with Lou Brookstone in tow. His face was surprisingly stoic as he stared right into his son's soul. The others all left the room, leaving only the Smiths and the Brookstones alone in the room.

"Look at him, like butter wouldn't melt." The dancer said, his voice portraying his true feelings.

"Sorry, Dad," Cole muttered, unable to meet his father's gaze.

"What were you thinking?"

"We... just needed to get away."

"They're back now, that's the important thing," Said Ray.

"Have you two had a decent explanation?" He asked the other parents in the room.

"Well, it was... an adventure, a right of passage of sorts." Maya smiled, knowing that it was up to Cole to telling his father the reason. Lou just scoffed and glared at his son.

"You're grounded until Christmas and any arguments it will be until Easter; now get your bags." He glared and Cole's eyes started welling up with tears.

"Dad do something," Nya whispered but Ray shook his head, it was not his place to say anything.

"Switch off the crocodile tears and get in the car," Lou growled.

"No, I'll tell you why we ran away!" He snapped as he stood up. He glanced back at Kai, who nodded, and turned back to look his after right in the eyes. "We're in love alright? Kai and I are in love!"

"With each other and we're a couple," Kai added as Lou paled.

"Y-You're not gay!" He shouted at his son who stood his ground. "You're both just kids!"

"Oh no Mr. Brookstone, they so are a couple." Nya smiled, getting a glare from her family.

"This is down to him." Lou spat, glaring at Kai.

"Don't you dare speak to him like that!" Cole snarled as he stepped aside to block his dad's line of sight from his boyfriend.

"Lou please it's a shock to all of us." Ray quickly said, trying to break the tension. "Maya and I know what you're going through."

"I'm not going through anything! My son is no homosexual!" He roared. "I'm mean look at him! He could have any woman he wants when he's older! This is all down to that born again Looney Tunes you call a son!"

"You better watch your mouth!" Ray snarled.

"Dad, we kiss and we hold each other, we're in love!" Cole cried as tears rolled down his face, but Lou could only look at him as if he was something he'd scraped off the bottom of his shoes.

"You're both disgusting."

"Get out! Cole's moving in with us!" Maya shouted and no one dared argue with her. "We can accept them for what they are!"

"Confused children is what they are!" Lou glared before turning back to his son. "Are you coming home with me or not?!"

"No." Cole sobbed as Kai rubbed comforting circles into his back.

"Go, now." Ray snarled as he stepped into Lou's face. The two fathers stared each other down until Lou snorted in disgusted and promptly stormed out of the room, out of the house, and drove all the way back home, leaving his distraught son in the care of the Smith family. As soon as they were sure he was gone, Maya turned to the two boys.

"I will not either of you disrespected like that." She reassured them before sighing. "I'm still not happy about all of this, boys, but I'm doing my best to accept it, and Cole you are more than happy to stay with us, isn't he Ray?" She asked her husband who simply nodded...


	13. Round Two

The next morning things seemed to had settled down and were returning to normal for the pack. Kai was going to be stuck in a cast for the next six weeks and would need to use crutches to get around, but at least he didn't lose his foot, or so Skylor kept saying. She had been all too keen to tell them all stories about brave werewolves who had been caught in traps and had to chew their own limbs off to escape. She'd been telling them these stories until Nya managed to distract her by showing her a washing machine.

Needless to say, no one got any sleep that night, least of all Cole and Kai.

Cole had spent the night at Kai and Nya's apartment in the spare room, Ray and Maya didn't want him spending the night in the same room as Kai and neither of them argued. As Cole and Kai snuggled on the couch, watching TV as they enjoyed their breakfast, Ray reluctantly walked over to talk to them.

"Listen, Cole, Maya and I were thinking we should call your father over."

"For what? Round two?" Kai glared.

"No, to talk." He sighed. "It's fine staying over for a few days but we can't go on like this forever."

"Yeah, but you saw what my Dad was like yesterday."

"Well he would have slept on it and he's hopefully calmer." He reassured and went to make the call while Cole and Kai shared uneasy looks...

* * *

While Ray was trying to convince Lou to come over and talk, Maya had driven all the way to Ed and Edna's junkyard to pay for the gas Jay and Nya had used when they took her parents' vehicles. As she entered the junkyard she saw them talking to Chad and his father Randall about scrapping their old car. Maya knew that Chad was one of his children's frequent bullies and once she and Ray had confronted his parents about his behavior.

Unfortunately, it didn't take them long to see where the jock got his attitude from.

She considered leaving and coming back later but that option disappeared as soon as the teen and his father saw her by the entrance, smug grins quickly growing on their faces. At first, Maya wanted to run and hide, but shook the feeling off and walked into the junkyard. She had nothing to be ashamed of and neither did her family or Cole.

"Good morning!" She smiled cheerily as she approached Jay's parents.

"Hello dear, what can we do for you?" Edna beamed when she saw the fellow mother.

"Ah Mrs. Smith," Randell smirked as he stepped closer to her. "I heard yer son's home safe and sound."

"Yes, he is."

"If you don't mind me asking, what was the reason for his disappearance?" Chad asked with a smug grin.

"I-I just came to speak to Ed and Edna." She replied, trying to stay relaxed. When they realized she wasn't going to give them any gossip Randell scoffed and his smirk vanished.

"Ya can hardly pretend it's a well-kept secret yer son's gay." He huffed and Maya frozen as Chad laughed.

"Why don't you and I go over some of the paperwork?" Ed quickly suggested and led the father and son away and out of sight, leaving his wife and Maya to talk in private. As soon as they were alone, Edna placed a comforting hand on Maya's shoulders as the female werewolf attempted to hide her tears.

"Now Maya honey, how would you like a nice fresh pot of coffee?" She offered with a kind smile. Maya could only nod, not trusting her voice, and allowed Edna to lead her into the trailer where she sat down and watched Edna make them some coffee. They sat there in silence for a few minutes before Edna put her cup down and cleared her throat.

"You must be glad to have Kai back?"

"...Yes." She muttered, blankly staring at her now cold cup of coffee.

"Is Kai gay?" She finally asked and Maya took a shaky breath as fresh tears welled up in her eyes again, nodding slowly. Edna thought about what to say before smiling at the other mother. "Well... how wonderful; wonderful because you and Ray raised him so well that he knows his own mind and what he wants from life and smart enough to get his head around it." She smiled but it faltered slightly when the tears started rolling down Maya's cheeks.

"I-I'm sorry." Maya sniffed as Edna handed her a tissue.

"It's not so easy for the likes for you and me is it? But isn't it great that this is the 21st century and neither he nor Cole doesn't have to hide anything like they would have had to do when I was younger and when you were younger," She said and Maya sobbed lightly at the thought of how badly gay and lesbian people were treated and ridiculed when she was Kai's age and she didn't want her children to go through that.

"He's my baby."

"And that hasn't changed."

"Ray and I called work and told our boss the truth and why we couldn't come back yet." She sobbed. "He said, 'I understand Mr. and Mrs. Smith because my nephew's a queer'." She laughed bitterly as Edna flinched at those choices of words. "I mean 'homosexual' is bad enough, 'gay' I struggle with but 'queer'? Why are there so many hateful words for it?! Why can't he just be normal?!" She sobbed loudly.

"He is normal, Maya."

"He's a handsome boy, he loves sports and he doesn't act at all feminine." She sniffed as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "I can't be honest with him Edna; I can't tell him I'm struggling with it, if I tell him the truth he'll run away again but pretending is killing me."...

* * *

Later that afternoon, the Smith family and Cole were sat in the apartment, counting down the seconds for when Lou came to talk again. Maya had returned from Ed and Edna's junkyard nearly an hour ago and it was clear to all the teens and her husband that she had been crying but they didn't say anything as she rushed to the bathroom to fix her makeup before Cole's father arrived. Kai didn't need to ask what she was crying about, however.

It hurt him to know how upset his mother was but she wouldn't talk to him.

The brunette knew that she was still coming to terms with his sexuality but knew it was probably for the best that he didn't push her and allowed her to adjust to it all in her own time. Just as they all thought Lou wasn't coming there was a knock on the door. Ray opened it and they all stood to attention, with the exception of Kai, as Lou walked into the apartment. They all stood in awkward silence for almost ten seconds before Ray lt out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.

"Look, we called you here it try and clear the air a bit."

"I'm sorry, but I know you two think this is alright because you're already so... different," Lou said and looked to his son. "Pack your bags Cole, we're going."

"At least stay for a coffee."

"NOW Cole," Lou said more firmly. "We can fix this if we just... get you away... from here." He muttered casting a glance at the Smith family.

"What do you mean by that?!" Maya hissed.

"Kai's not a bad influence!" Ray added, feeling his own anger rising.

"Funny how my son wasn't a homosexual until he hooked up with that boy." He spat, glaring at Kai who was sat on the couch.

"Dad!" Nya cried but it was too late as Ray had already stepped right up into Lou's face, his eyes burning yellow, as he tried to stop himself from ripping the man's throat out.

"You better take that back!" He snarled.

"Kids, why don't you go to your rooms and we'll try and talk." Maya smiled nervously as she pulled her husband away. The teens shared a worried loom but didn't argue as Cole helped Kai up and handed him his crutches and they followed Nya to her room, leaving the adults to talk things over.

"Well I've got plenty to say on the matter, only you two might not want to hear it because you're a pair of bleeding heart liberals!" Lou snapped.

"They're only down the hall, he can hear you," Maya warned.

"He needs to get out of this faze!"

"He needs your support!" She glared.

"We know it's hard to get your head around, don't think it never shocked us, but they love each other!" Ray defended.

"And you think this is right?!"

"So what if I do?" He glared. "There's no law against it!"

"No, but there should be a law against you two encouraging it under your own roof! Do you get some kind of sick joy from this?!"

"DON'T YOU DARE COME INTO MY HOUSE AND SPEAK TO ME LIKE THAT!" Ray roared.

"Those two children of yours need taking into care and you and your wife need to be locked up!" Lou screamed loud enough Maya was sure half the city could hear their argument. "That son of yours has twisted my Cole's mind! He's abused him!"

"GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE BEFORE I THROW YOU OUT THE FUCKING WINDOW!" Ray bellowed with such fury it startled everyone in the apartment. By now his veins had darkened and his nails and grown into sharp black claws.

"I-I think you better go," Maya said, knowing if this continued Ray would wolf out and do something he'd regret.

"You don't scare me." He growled. "You can sit here all day, saying things are going to be fine, get them married off for all I care because I'm over it! I was my hands of him! He's not my son anymore!" He shouted before running out of the apartment. Inside Nya's room, the teens had heard every little word and wanted to rip Lou apart limb by limb for this, but Cole needed them more. As soon as his father had left Cole burst into tears and Kai pulled him into a loving hug...

* * *

Night came soon enough and Cole had almost moved mast of his stuff from his dad's apartment. Thankfully Lou hadn't been there so Cole didn't have to face him, even with Nya and Jay coming with him for support as he gathered his things. While Cole was out gathering his belongings Ray and Maya were discussing places for Cole to go. They knew Cole was a good kid but he wasn't part of their family. It was fine him staying for a few days, but not forever.

They asked Kai and Nya if Cole had any other family.

Unfortunately, the only one the raven-haired teen mentioned was his maternal grandfather who didn't even live in the same country so that wasn't an option. If he was anything like Lou when it came to homosexuals they didn't think it was good for Cole to move in with him anyway. The only thing they could do was allow Cole to live with them until Lou got over his son's sexuality and let him move back in. While the teens were unpacking all of Cole's things in his new room Maya was setting the table for dinner.

She could see where Lou was coming from, even if she didn't approve of his choice of words.

Cole and Kai were still young and she secretly hoped this was just a faze they would grow out of soon. She was so busy setting the table that she didn't notice Cole standing behind her until she turned around and nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw him.

"Thanks for sticking up for me with my Dad." He smiled sheepishly. "Wish he was like you and Mr. Smith."

"Don't say that Cole, I'm hardly Mother Teresa, and just Ray and Maya is fine." She replied, unable to look him in the eye. "Do you need to get more stuff from your dad's?"

"No."

"Obviously you can stay here as much as you want, under the condition that you behave yourselves." She warned and he nodded before leaving to unpack the rest of his stuff. Maya turned back to the table but she couldn't find the will to move, her mind to overwhelmed by everything that has been happening recently. Just the Ray walked through the door and was about to ask what was for dinner. He froze, however, when he saw the distraught expression on his wife's face.

Almost immediately he rushed over and pulled her into a hug.

"I hate this." She whispered into his shoulder.

"You're doing great." He reassured.

"No, I'm not." She argued as she pulled away to glare at a wall. "I keep thinking..."

"What?"

"He'll never have a family."

"Look it's different from when we were younger; he can have a family, he can have as many kids as he wants." Ray smiled softly. "There's adoption and-"

"You don't have to go into detail!" She suddenly snapped and stormed off. Ray just sighed and finished setting the table...

* * *

Kai sighed as he crawled out of his nice warm bed in the middle of the night to grab a drink of water. He and Cole would be going back to school soon and they were both dreading it. They were worried about what people were going to say but at the same time, they couldn't care less. He and Cole loved each other and that was what mattered. As he walked toward the kitchen using his crutches, he froze when he saw Maya sitting alone on the couch.

The only light source she had was a dull lamp and rest against her lap was a white book.

She looked up at her only son as he approached her but didn't say anything as he sat next to her. He looked at the book she was looking through an old photo album full of pictures from when he and Nya were young children. He looked back at his mother and saw she had been crying again.

"Trying to spot the signs?" He asked. "Trying to see where it all went wrong?"

"Don't be stupid." She scoffed as she turned the page and smiled. "Aw look at that." She chuckled as she pointed to a picture of Kai and Nya at the carnival. They looked to be around four or five in the picture.

"When was this."

"You'd just had your tonsils out, and I remember seeing you lying in that hospital bed looking so small and pale, I thought I'd die if anything ever happened to you I loved you so much."

"Mom..."

"You know, all you want to do is protect your children, keep them safe." She chuckled sadly. "You think you can that's the stupid thing."

"Yeah well, you did a good job of protecting me and Nya."

"It's a very tough world out there Kai." She sighed. "Being any kind of different is dangerous."

"I know."

"If I could wave a magic wand right now and make you normal I would do it." She admitted and Kai could feel the tears welling up. "But I can't so I'm just going to have to wait for the shock to wear off and in time I'll get used to a different sort of normal." She sighed and Kai sniffed as he fought the tears away. He looked to the album and pointed to a picture of when Nya tricked him into wearing one of her princess dresses.

"Think that's what did it?" He joked weakly. Maya just laughed and pulled her son into a hug, where they stayed for the rest of the night...


	14. Top Dog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The feuds within the pack escalate when student elections are held, putting them all at risk...

Kai grunted in slight pain as he and the other sunk into their seats in their homeroom. He and Cole had finally returned to their school and were told they would have to work extremely hard to catch up and not repeat the grade. That basically meant no free time, just school work. Even though they wouldn't say it, Ray and Maya were very grateful for that. It meant that their son and Cole wouldn't have the opportunity to get up to anything.

If they were so busy catching up with their school work, not that they could anyway.

With Kai's injured leg he couldn't take part in any school sports until it healed or do any serious exercise. Kai hated this but he had to endure. The only good thing that came out of this whole mess was that Kai was allowed to leave class early to avoid getting trampled in the halls. He and Cole did get teased for their relationship but thankfully the fear of the wrath of Nya kept the teasing to a bare minimum. As everyone got settled in their seats, Miss. Koko entered the classroom.

"Morning students!" She said with a cheery smile. "I'm sure I'm wasting my time here, but the office has asked me to read a very important notice; pupils are invited to put themselves forward as the year group representative on the school council." She explained. "This is the most important leadership position in the year and names to the office by Friday." She added, catching Skylor's attention.

"Miss, I'd like to be the leader of the school council." The red-haired girl suddenly said, shocking everyone.

"Really?" Koko frowned.

"Actually, miss, I'd like to be the year's representative on the council," Nya said, casting a hint of glare at Skylor.

"Oh, well, that's very-"

"Well we think it should be someone with their finger on the pulse, miss," Harumi smirked. "Someone like me."

"Too much girl power." Chad scoffed. "I'd better go for it, too, miss." He added with a confident grin. Koko looked at all four volunteers and smiled.

"Well, looks like we've got a fight on our hands, hm?" She smiled before starting the register. As soon as she finished checking the register, the students were dismissed and headed for their next lessons. While they were walking down the halls, Morro and Lloyd were desperately trying to convince Skylor to pull out of the student elections.

"The thing is, we have an expression here," Morro said as he walked with Lloyd and Skylor. "Don't run before you can walk."

"What?" She frowned in confusion.

"It basically means you're trying to do something requiring a high level of knowledge before you've learned the basics." Replied Lloyd.

"I was born to lead, like all my family." She stated with a sad glint in her eyes at the mention of her family.

"You're supposed to be fitting in, not sticking out," Morro growled.

"Now that I'm going to stay here, I need to take my place."

"I just don't think you realize what you're actually getting yourself into." Lloyd sighed as they continued walking. Further down the hallway, Nya had a happy smile on her face as she walked to her next lesson. That is until Pixel suddenly sped up so she was next to her.

"I have had some ideas for your campaign." She smiled at the female werewolf.

"You want to do something for us?" She glared. "You can delete those videos, all of them."

"I would if I thought it would make any difference." She sighed. "Please let me I can make it up to you, I can help you win."

"I don't need your kind of help!" She snapped and stormed away, leaving a disheartened Pixel alone in the crowded hallway...

* * *

"I've got a really bad feeling about this election," Kai said to the others as they sat at their usual table in the cafeteria. The cafeteria seemed to be split into four parts as the four election challengers discussed their campaigns for the school.

"As my campaign manager, I think you should show a little bit more enthusiasm." She smiled at her brother.

"Manager? Me?" He paled. "No, no, no."

"If you're not with me, you're against me." She frowned.

"I'm not picking sides."

"I said the same thing to Skylor." Morro quickly said when Nya looked at him and the others, who agreed with him.

"Why're you doing this anyway?" Cole asked. "You only volunteered because Skylor did."

"Let's just get one thing straight, Skylor's in our pack, we're not in hers." She glared. "She wants to be a top dog and I'm not letting that happen." She added and her glare hardened when she saw Pixel approaching with a tray of food. Instead of sitting at their table, however, the others watched his shock as their human friend walked past them and sat across from Skylor, who was sat alone. Nya quickly tucked some of her hair behind her ear and started using her advanced hearing to listen to their conversation.

The others saw this but said nothing, knowing it was hopeless.

"Skylor, I know we have not always seen eye to eye, but I can win this election for you." Pixel smiled.

"Why are you helping me?" Skylor frowned. "Why not Nya?"

"I am on your side now!" She reassured. "I believe in your message."

"I don't have a message."

"Of course, you do! You just do not know what it is yet, but that is where I can help." She smiled. "No-one knows politics as I do." She added and Skylor nodded in agreement. As they discussed their strategy, Skylor glanced over to the others' table and glared when she saw Nya was trying to listen to her and Pixel's conversation with her powers.

"Very subtle." She hissed. "Think I wouldn't notice?" She snapped and Nya growled as she untucked her hair and silently glared at her food. The boys shared nervous looks, knowing this could only go from bad to worse before it had any hope of getting better...

* * *

As soon as lunch was over Zane rushed off to try and locate his girlfriend. With tensions running so high between the pack and Pixel he didn't think it was very wise for the human to be helping Skylor, especially with the elections, where the redhead werewolf was competing against Nya, who seemed to be the angriest at Pixel at the moment. It didn't take him long to find her at her locker.

"So, what is going on with you and Skylor?" He asked directly.

"I am helping her win the election." She casually shrugged.

"Would it not just be easier to make up with Nya?"

"I have tried but she will not listen."

"The point is, Pixel, your research-"

"I saved your lives!" She snapped, getting sick of the constant verbal abuse she got from the pack over what they learned she had been doing.

"What if your research fell into the wrong hands?" He asked, also getting annoyed by the situation.

"That data could save all of you if it came to it if you were found out some other way." She explained. "I am protecting you."

"Well, Nya and the other do not see it like that, and just imagine how Skylor would react if she found out you'd been spying on werewolves."

"No one has told her yet?"

"Course not!" He exclaimed. "Skylor would probably eat you!"

"It is not spying, it's simply observing." She defended herself. "Maybe Skylor would understand that."

"Well, I do not recommend testing that theory." He warned before walking away. Pixel paused for a moment, but shook her fears off and went to meet the principal with the other volunteers...

* * *

Skylor sighed as she walked down the hallway, looking for one of her friends. She knew she shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, but Pixel suddenly wanting to help her with her campaign instead of helping Nya didn't sit right with her. She had just left the human in the closet where the school paper does all their editing and the closet was full of photocopiers, laminators, and binders. This was perfect for all of them during their campaign.

While in there the principal had given them all some advice.

When campaigning, the rule of thumb is people have to hear your message three times. Face to face, word of mouth, written down. This is why the editor's room was being made available to them. Before she left the principal said he was trusting all of them and made it clear they must not abuse it. As she continued walking her eyes narrowed as she finally found one of her friends. Jay was standing alone by his locker, gathering somethings for his next few lessons.

As soon as he saw the wild girl, his eyes widened and he froze as she walked up to him.

"What's going on, Jay?" She glared.

"What?" He whimpered. "I'm just getting my books for Spanish."

"Not that." She snapped. "Has Nya sent Pixel to spy on me?"

"No, they've just...fallen out."

"About what?"

"G-Girls' stuff, it's beyond m-me." He gulped before closing his locker and speed walking away. Skylor just glared at her retreating form...

* * *

Harumi growled as she sat in the editor's closet with Chad while they both planned their campaigns. Nya and Skylor were nowhere to be seen and were too busy fighting over Pixel which only helped the lead cheerleader's chances more, but that still wasn't enough. She needed the students' votes to win this election, not less competition, even though it helped. She needed to do something the students would appreciate so they would be more inclined to vote for her.

She considered getting designer school uniforms, but there was no way the school was ever going to happen.

She might have more money than all the school combined, but that didn't mean she could change the rules whenever she wanted. She thought about simply using her power over the students to get them to vote for her or else. Unfortunately, she wanted to win this on merit, not on threats. She wanted to show everyone in this pathetic school there was more to Harumi Jade than just eyeliner, money, and lip gloss. There was nothing wrong with eyeliner, money, and lip gloss, but it won't win a high school election.

The lead cheerleader was suddenly dragged out of her campaign thoughts when Chad suddenly burped loudly.

She made a disgusted face while he laughed. Unknowingly, Harumi had just given him the best plan to win this election. When someone burps, boys laugh but girls don't, but he did not have to worry about the girls, because their votes would be split three ways between Harumi, Nya, and Skylor. As long as he got every boy voting for him he'd win this by a landslide...

* * *

"I have analyzed voters by age, social network sites, and make of mobile." Pixel explained as she and Skylor went over Skylor's campaign at her caravan home in the middle of the forest.

"What's that got to do with anything?" Skylor asked in confusion. In the wild, to become a leader, she would have to challenge the current alpha and win in combat, but she had a feeling that wouldn't work here.

"Know the facts, know the voter."

"Graphs won't make me a leader."

"This one might." She smiled and handed the wild girl a piece of paper.

"Floating voters?" She read out loud.

"No-one ever targets these guys, because they do not fit into cliques or categories." Pixel explained. "You need to find out what they care about and make that your policy; it will help you win the election."

"What do they care about?" Skylor asked, but the human smirked.

"What do you care about?"...

* * *

Miss. Koko smiled happily when she arrived at school the next day and was surprised to see all four candidates standing in front of the high school as they campaigned over megaphones to the large group of students before them. These four were usually so apathetic about this sort of thing. They all had smart, insightful ideas. Koko was just thrilled she persuaded them to embrace that. She decided to see how the campaigns were going.

"Makeup shouldn't be banned in school!" Harumi called out to her supporters, that were all girls. "Looking your best is a fundamental human right, just because you're at school doesn't mean you can't look gorgeous and smell gorgeous! Which is why we're installing grooming stations in every restroom!" She exclaimed and Kiki flinched as the lead cheerleader's supporters cheered loudly.

"Every week we go out and represent the school! Isn't it time the school invested in us?!" Chad shouted to his all-boys supporters.

"Yeah!" The crowd cheered.

"New kits, new goal nets, and new training gear!" He chanted and Koko rolled her eyes as she went to check on Nya and Skylor.

"Food! At the end of the day, what's more important?" Skylor asked but no one answered her. "Nothing! And what say do we get in it? No! Something that important can't be picked and chosen at random, which is why I propose you should set the menu in the school canteen!" The red-haired girl exclaimed and her supporters all mumbled and cheered in agreement. Koko chuckled and went to check on Nya. She frowned, however, when she found only a dozen students crowding around her, whereas the others had nearly three times that number.

Cole and Kai were sat beside the raven-haired girl and it was clear to the teacher they were her only supporters, even though it looked like neither of them wanted to be there.

"Every pupil here has a right to privacy on school property," Nya said to the few students listening to her. "No more taking pictures on mobiles! No more social networking! Let's get a grip on this privacy problem!" She cried but the students looked at her like she had just grown two heads and went to check out the other campaigns.

"Very admirable, Nya, but maybe a bit too cerebral." Koko pointed out.

"It's a matter of principle, miss." She glared.

"And what are you proposing? Do we ban all mobiles and computers in schools?" She asked and Nya paused at least.

"That's not going to get you many votes," Kai added, getting a glare from his boyfriend and sister.

"Take a leaf out of their book," Koko suggested and gestured to the other candidates before walking away, missing the glare Nya was sending to Skylor and Pixel, who were gathering more and more supporters...

* * *

Chad smirked as he and his team stood in the men's restroom with a line of students standing in front of him as he handed them money. As soon as he saw that the girls, minus Nya of course, were gathering more supporters he knew he was in trouble. That is until he came up with a brilliant plan. Money made the world go round and if he could pay people for their votes then he'd win by a landslide.

"You take the money, you vote for me, I'll know if you haven't." He threatened another floating voter who nodded fearfully and scurried out the restroom.

"Isn't this a bit... dirty?" A member of Chad's gang asked.

"I'm just helping those less fortunate than myself, isn't that why we're in politics?" He smirked as he continued giving out money. As the voters walked out of the restroom, no one noticed Skylor and Pixel standing by their lockers which were almost next to these restrooms. Thanks to Skylor's advanced hearing, they had learned that Chad was trading cash for votes.

"We're finished." The wild girl sighed in defeat.

"Only if we let him get away with it." Pixel had and opened her locker. Skylor watched as her human friend pulled out one of the owls she had taken from one of the dens and breaking it open to remove the hidden camera.

"What's that?" She asked when she saw the device.

"A camera."

"Inside an owl?" She asked and Pixel paled when she remembered what Zane had said Skylor would do to her if she found out about the reason for the camera.

"Oh, it... was just some e-experiment, but now it's a trap."...

* * *

Chad growled in frustration as he watched the soccer team around the pitch. Ever since Kai's leg had ended up in a cast, he had been unable to play any sports and their school was suffering as a result. Whether he hated the fact Kai was gay or not, Chad couldn't deny that the spiky-haired teen was one of the best athletes they had at Ninjago High. Even if his ankle wasn't broken, due to him and Cole running away, he didn't have time to play sports.

They were both too busy catching up with their schoolwork that they'd missed.

"Are you Chad?" A timid voice suddenly said from behind. The jock turned around and saw a young girl he recognized from the chest club standing alone, wrapped up in a thick winter coat. Her eyes were darting around in panic as she clutched her clothes tightly.

"Who's asking?"

"I-I'm a floating voter." She muttered and he smirked, instantly knowing what she wanted. Quickly looking around to make sure no one was looking, he pulled out some cash and handed it to the frightened girl.

"For your vote."...

* * *

"And that is called bribery and corruption!" Koko shouted in anger as she made the four candidates and their teams watched the footage of Chad bribing a voter with money. The girls all smirked while Chad and his team were scarlet with rage and embarrassment. He was so close to winning this election then Skylor and Pixel blew the whistle on him. The only one who wasn't happy about Chad's exposure was Nya. As soon as she had heard how Skylor and Pixel had gotten that evidence she had seen red and wanted to scream and shout to anyone who'd listen.

Unfortunately, the fear of Pixel saying what exactly she was using those hidden cameras for stopped her from saying anything to Skylor.

The others may trust their human friend, but she didn't. She had promised to protect Cole and Kai's secret, but the second she was pushed she told the entire school about their relationship. Cole and Kai could only share worried looks, hoping she wouldn't start a fight in the middle of the classroom.

"It's entrapment!" Chad tried to defend himself.

"It's vote-rigging! Pure and simple! You are eliminated from the election!" Koko exclaimed and turned to Skylor and Pixel with a grateful smile. "Well done, Skylor, and you too, Pixel, very upstanding; let their integrity be an example to you all." She said as Nya tried to contain her enraged growls. "I hope you remember that when you cast your votes." She warned before dismissing them all. As soon as they all left the classroom, Nya charged after the wild girl and the human.

Kai tried to stop her but being confined to crunches slowed him down, so Cole went ahead.

"Integrity?! You?!" Nya screeched when she finally caught up to them and got up in Pixel's face.

"You got a problem, you talk to me." Skylor hissed as she pushed the angry werewolf away from her human teammate.

"Chad was bribing voters!" Pixel cried.

"Two wrongs don't make a right!" Nya snarled.

"What did I do wrong?"

"Spying on people with hidden cameras again!" She shouted and everyone froze.

"Again?" Skylor asked in confusion.

"Nya's just feeling the pressure guys." Cole quickly said. "Don't take it personally." He added and Pixel gave Nya a nervous look before quickly walking away to her next lesson. As soon as she was out of sight, Skylor turned to her fellow werewolves.

"Again what?"

"Nothing," Cole replied.

"Skylor needs to hear this." Nya snapped.

"Maybe she doesn't."

"Yeah, she does." Skylor glared and motioned for the raven-haired girl to continue.

"Pixel's putting us all in danger, including you!"...

* * *

Pixel grumbled in frustration as she was alone in the small editor's closet, trying to get the photocopier to work. The halls were mostly empty because everyone was gathered in the gymnasium to hear who won the elections. The pale girl planned to leave soon, but she wanted to get this sorted first. She couldn't remember what she needed it for, she was just wanted something to take her mind off everything that was happening between her and the others, specifically Nya.

Pixel had hoped that when Cole and Kai returned she and his sister could finally make peace, but that wasn't the case.

In fact, things between the girls were worse than before. Pixel didn't blame Nya however. If she hadn't told everyone at school Cole and Kai were a couple, they wouldn't have run away and Kai wouldn't have gotten hurt. It was her fault and she didn't deny that, but that still didn't excuse the horrible way Nya had been treating her. If Cole and Kai could forgive their human friend for outing them, why couldn't Nya? Just as she got the photocopier working again when the door suddenly slammed shut behind her.

She whipped around to see Skylor standing there with a stoic look on her face.

But an evident fire burning in her still human-looking eyes. Something about the way the red-haired girl was looking at her made Pixel very uneasy.

"Tell me something." The wild girl asked calmly as she slowly walked towards her teammate. "Are you nice Pixel? Clever Pixel? I know, let's try LIAR PIXEL!?" She roared as she suddenly grabbed Pixel by the shirt.

"What are you talking about?!" Pixel cried as Skylor threw her into some shelves.

"I know everything! The laptop, the camera! Everything!" She screamed and Pixel paled in realization. "You only befriend werewolves to spy on us!"

"Skylor, I'd never do anything to hurt you!"

"You're a liar and a traitor!"

"Skylor-"

"Stay away from me! I don't want your help! I was stupid to ever trust a human like you!" She snarled and made to leave, only her eyes to widen in horror when the door wouldn't open. She had slammed the so hard that the handle had busted and now Pixel was trapped in a small room with an emotional wild werewolf and no one knew where they were.

"I can't be locked in!" Skylor shrieked as her eyes turned yellow and her veins started darkening.

"It is all right." Pixel tried to calm her friend down. "Take it easy."

"I NEED TO GET OUT!" She screamed as she started to hyperventilate.

"All right, I'm calling for help." She reassured and quickly sent a text to her friends, praying they got here in time...

* * *

Inside the gymnasium, it was a little underwhelming, to say the least. Almost no students had shown up to see who had won the elections, with the expectation of Lloyd and the others. They didn't approve of all the fighting between the girls but they came as a backup in case a physical fight broke out. They had heard that Nya had told Skylor what Pixel had done and made it clear how disappointed in Nya they were. Zane wanted to go and make sure his girlfriend was alright, but Jay managed to convince him against it.

There was no way Skylor would dare do anything while they were still in school.

The three remaining election candidates had to give one last speech before the voting closed and the principal would announce who had won the election. Chad and his gang were also forced to attend, even though he wouldn't be speaking. Skylor and Pixel had yet to arrive, but Koko just thought they were going over Skylor's speech one last time before she had to go on stage. So the teacher motioned for the principal to begin without them.

He stepped up to the podium and cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.

"Before I hand the floor to Nya Smith, I'd like to thank you all for turning up, but, quite frankly, I am very disappointed in the low turnout." He sighed before stepping down and Nya took his place.

"I'm sorry if my campaign offended anyone, but some candidates claim that they're doing things for you but are they really just in it for themselves? Others can't even be bothered to show up." She glared, noticing Skylor and Pixel hadn't bothered to show up yet. "But I'm just trying to open your eyes to what is really going on here." She added just as all her friends' phones chimed; she watched as they all ready the massage and they all but Kai ran out of the room. "So...er...vote for who you trust." She rushed through her speech and ran off the stage.

While Harumi stood up and started her speech, Nya ran over to her brother, who simply handed her his phone so she could read the message.

As soon as she did, she paled in horror and ran in the same direction as the others. Koko noticed this and charged after her before Kai could do anything to stop the teacher...

* * *

"Let me out!" Skylor bellowed as she banged and clawed desperately at the jammed door. By now her veins were completely black, his claws had appeared and Pixel could swear she could see the wild girl's teeth sharpening. If the others didn't get here soon Skylor was going to transform and do who knows what it Pixel. She remembered seeing the damage Morro had done to a classroom on his first day when he unexpectedly transformed.

This room was much smaller than a classroom, however.

The last thing Pixel wanted to be was trapped in here with an out of control werewolf, friend or not. Just then her phone buzzed and she almost jumped for joy when she saw it was a text from Zane, saying he and the others were on their way.

"All right, help is coming." She said, but this did little to ease Skylor's anxiety.

"The walls are closing in!" She screamed as she sank into a corner.

"The walls are not moving." She reassured, only for them both to jump when there was a sudden banging on the door, sending Skylor into even more of a panic.

"Pixel! Are you in there?" Cole's voice called through the door and Pixel breathe a sigh of relief.

"Get the door open! She's wolfing out!" She replied and almost immediately both Cole and Morro tried kicking the door down but it refused the budge. As they continued kicking the door, Nya came running up to them, panic clear on her face.

"What's going on?!"

"They've been locked in!" Jay whimpered.

"Skylor's wolfing out!" Lloyd added and Nya paled. Inside the room, things weren't looking good for Pixel. From her spot in the corner, Skylor felt her fear slowly turn to rage as she looked up at Pixel with wild yellow eyes.

"This was your plan all along." She snarled at her friend with razor-sharp teeth.

"No! I wasn't planning anything!"

"To see me turn!" She wailed, not registering what the human had said as she shot up and started throwing things off the shelves in a blind panic. "Where have you hidden the camera?!"

"I haven't! I swear I haven't!" Pixel cried and outside the room, the others were growing more and more worried. Cole and Morro tried to increase their efforts when they all heard someone approaching them. They turned and nearly cursed when they saw an irritated Miss. Koko approaching them fast.

"What is going on?" She demanded.

"Skylor and Pixel are locked in!" Morro exclaimed.

"Skylor's panicking," Nya added

Yes, she is... claustrophobic." Zane lied.

"OK, OK, calm down." Koko sighed as she gently motioned for Cole and Morro to move away from the door. "I'll get the janitor." She said and walked away. As soon as they were sure she was out of earshot, Cole and Morro started trying to break the door down again.

"We can't let him get here! He'll see Skylor!" Cole grunted as he kicked the door.

"What can we do?" Jay asked fearfully.

"If we leave her in there, she'll kill Pixel!" Lloyd growled in frustration

"Please listen, I wouldn't betray my friends! Never!" Pixel cried desperately. Instead of calming down, however, Skylor whipped around to face her and Pixel watched in horror as the wild girl began to transform in front of her. "Help! She's changing!" She cried out for her friends as she slowly began to back away from a red wolf in front of her.

"Pixel, you have to get away from her! Hide behind something!" Morro exclaimed and Pixel dashed into a corner and knocked down a shelf above her for cover from the enraged wolf. Before the others could do anything, however, Koko suddenly returned with the janitor. The teens had no choice but to back away and let the man try and open the door. They all shared a concerned look, dreading when he opened the door and saw Skylor in wolf form.

"Girls, it's all right, just sit tight," Koko reassured the trapped girls before leaving to inform the principal of the situation. As the janitor tried to pry the door open, he thought he could hear growling, but shrugged it off as he got back to his feet.

"I need my bolt cutters." He sighed before walking away. Unfortunately, the teens didn't know what to do. The door wasn't budging no matter how many times they banged against it but if they didn't get them out of there Pixel could get hurt, or worse. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Nya suddenly stepped forward and knelt down by the door. She didn't want Pixel to get hurt, she just thought Skylor would scare her a little. This was all the raven-haired girl's fault and she was determined to make it right.

"Skylor? I know you can hear me; I shouldn't have said anything." She said calmly, but inside she was trembling. "I know you're scared but, please, please don't hurt her."

"Do you think this will work?" Zane whispered to the others but they could only shrug.

"She didn't put you in danger, she'd never put you in danger! She's loyal and she's my friend, and she's in my pack, just like you are, and nobody hurts my pack." Nya promised and the growling seemed to stop. "So, I'm begging you, just get control of it, like I know you can, and come back to us." She pleaded and for a very brief moment, they all thought it had worked and Skylor had managed to regain control of her wolf and changed back.

That is until the howling started.

"No!" Cole cried in horror as Skylor's loud howls echoed throughout the entire school and they were sure almost everyone had heard it and they were no doubt heading this way right now. Knowing they were out of time, Cole and Morro moved back and got a running start as the charge at the door. Nya dove out of the way just in time as both boys right into the door. This time the door splintered into pieces and they were all shocked at the state of the room.

It looked like a bomb had gone off. Shelves and boxed were knocked over and papers and supplies were scattered around the room.

They found a now human Skylor cowering, naked, in the far corner of the room. While Morro and Lloyd helped the red-haired girl, Jay pulled a terrified Pixel out from under a shelf. He led the trembling girl out into the hallway while Morro and Lloyd helped Skylor find her clothes. As soon as he saw her, Zane rushed over and instantly started checking his girlfriend over for injuries. When he saw she was alright, he stepped away and she and Nya stared at each other.

"Are you OK?" Nya asked after a moment.

"I'm alive." Pixel said with a shaky sigh of relief.

"If anything had happened to you..." Nya trailed off, unable to finish that thought. Almost immediately, the two girls wrapped each other in a tight, reassuring embraced just as Koko, the principal, and the janitor returned. No one paid them any mind, however, as the boys simply smiled at Nya and Pixel, relieved that this feud was finally over...

* * *

By now the elections had ended and with all that had gone on it was a good job none of them were running the country. Skylor had withdrawn her candidacy and so did Nya. With Chad's early fall from grace, that left one candidate standing. The pack was silently dreading whatever Harumi was going to do now, but hoped the school board would finally knock her down a peg, or two. School had just ended and most of the students were heading home.

All except Skylor, Morro, Nya, Zane, and Pixel.

Skylor and Morro were sat waiting outside for the others while they were talking to the principal and Pixel got checked over by the nurse. Morro didn't really need to stay but he wanted to walk Skylor home to make sure she was alright. By some miracle, they had managed to convince the school that the howl they had heard was just a video on Jay's phone. He claimed that he was trying to find relaxing nature sounds to help Skylor calm down but accidentally pressed the wrong one.

Zane had offered to pay to repair the broken down and any damaged equipment from the editor's closet.

As soon as Pixel was given the all-clear from the nurse she, Nya, and Zane were allowed to leave. They walked over to the school and as soon as Skylor saw them she rushed over to speak to Pixel. When Zane saw the wild girl approaching, he stepped up to protect his girlfriend, but the human stepped away and allowed Skylor to come closer.

"I'm sorry I freaked out." The red-haired girl blurted out. "When the wolf starts in your veins, nothing controls it."

"Well... no harm done, I suppose." She smiled shakily before Zane lead her away, leaving Nya, Morro, and Skylor alone in front of the school.

"Thank you, Nya," Skylor said to the other female werewolf.

"You don't have to." She replied.

"I do, you saved me and Pixel." She beamed. "So maybe I'm not meant to lead our class, but as long as I'm in your pack, what more do I need?"

"That's right." Nodded Morro and Skylor's eyes narrowed in concern.

"But what are we going to do about Pixel's laptop?" She asked.

"Nothing." Nya shrugged, much to Skylor's shock.

"So you're just going to leave it?"

"Pixel's part of our pack too." Morro reminded her.

"I was wrong not to trust her the last time, I'll not be making the same mistake twice," Nya said before walking away to get her bike. Skylor sighed, hoping this never backfired on them...


	15. Desperate Measures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skylor is determined to find and destroy Pixel's laptop, but it seems like more than one person is after it. Will they be able to find the laptop in time, or will someone else discover their secret?...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that I've already posted a message about this devastating tragedy on Wattpad but I just wanted to say I am so sorry for his family's loss and I wish I had the right words, I just hope they know we care. I don't know how you all feel about this tragedy, but know that the Ninjago Community is grieving as well and we are here to help each other in any way we can. Kirby Morrow, you and your loved ones will be in my thoughts and prayers.
> 
> Now I know that everyone is worried about the future of Ninjago but I implore you all to have some consideration for his grieving family.
> 
> When the show's creators and Kirby's fellow cast members wish to talk about the future of Ninjago they will so please don't go on their social media to harass them for answers. I have also heard about people making jokes about how Cole's reflection came true. I don't know if you meant any harm but please think of his family and friends. Please have some respect and think before we do things like this.
> 
> I know people will say that time is a great healer, but I'll let you in on a little secret; it's not.
> 
> You just have to learn to live with the new 'normal'. But when I was growing up I was taught that there are worst things than dying. Being forgotten by the cruelty of time is a fate worse than death in my opinion. So it's up to all of us to ensure that Kirby Morrow and any members of the Ninjago team are never forgotten and their works and legacy live on.

Lloyd and his friends all groaned as they walked down the school hallways. Normally this would be torture enough, but ever since Harumi had won the election, she had been making changes to the school. Thankfully the school board had stopped her from making any significant changes, but they didn't stop the lead cheerleaders from decorating to hallways with bright pink, sparkling decorations.

"She's been president for five minutes and already everything's pink." Cole chuckled as he dodged a dangling streamer. They all laughed and joked about Harumi's changes until they reached their lockers. Their laughter died down, however, when they saw a desperate-looking Skylor furiously rooting through Pixel's open locker with a glare, throwing books and papers all over the floor.

"What are you doing?!" Kai exclaimed as they approached her.

"Where's your laptop?" Skylor snapped at their human friend.

"What?" She asked in confusion.

"I'm getting rid of it." The wild girl snarled before she finally pulled the laptop out, only to growl when Jay snatched the laptop away from her and out of reach. She tried to lunge for the device, but Lloyd managed to hold her back.

"Take it easy you guys!" Nya hissed as a few passing students gave them odd looks.

"She can not just break into my locker! Pixel cried.

"As long as she's got dirt on us, we're in danger!" Skylor exclaimed. "We can't just do nothing!"

"That's it, let's go!" Morro growled as he grabbed the red-haired girl's arm and dragged her away with Lloyd following close behind. They walked until they were certain they were alone before Morro finally let her go and he and Lloyd backed her into a corner.

"I told you, we trust Pixel." Lloyd glared.

"No, YOU trust Pixel!" She argued. "All that proof she's hiding will destroy us if we don't destroy it first and you all know I'm right!" She snarled before the bell suddenly rang and she pushed past them to go to her first lesson...

* * *

Later that day, during a study period, the Ninjago teen pack was gathered in the library. They were split into two groups at either side of the silent library with Zane and Jay talking to Pixel and the others tried to reason with Skylor.

"Skylor broke into my locker." Pixel said when Zane asked her what was wrong.

"What?" He gasped in shock.

"Yeah, she was after her laptop," Jay replied.

"I just can't believe she'd do that!" Cried Pixel.

"She's scared, Pix," Jay said softly. "Your data is a risk."

"I've already explained, it's to protect all of you." She sighed and turned to her boyfriend. "I thought you were on my side?"

"I'm not on anybody's side! I just want my friends to be safe."

"So do I." She glared and Jay sighed as he looked to the others, hoping they were having better luck with Skylor. Unfortunately, the red-haired girl was more stubborn than Kai when it came to Pixel and her werewolf research.

"This has got to stop." Cole glared at the wild girl.

"Not while she's got those files." She snarled.

"We'll talk to her," Kai reassured.

"She'll just win you over like always!" She snapped. "Secrets have a way of getting out."

"I know, but this is Pixel's thing," Lloyd replied.

"It makes her feel special, it makes her feel like she's part of things, so we're not going to let you throw it away." Morro glared at his friend.

"She'd still know." She hissed. "So really, we wouldn't be taking anything away, would we?"

"Maybe we could try persuading her?" Nya suggested.

"You think she'll just give us her laptop if we ask nicely?" Cole scoffed.

"You got a better idea?" His boyfriend.

"Yeah, we stop asking and we do something!" Skylor growled.

"All this stuff... if it gets out, it's over, for all of us." Lloyd warned them all, not just Skylor. "So we need to keep our heads and work through this together as a pack."...

* * *

Pixel sighed heavily as she walked alone to gather some textbooks for her History class from her locker, but her mind was too focused on what was going on with her friends. It seemed that when she made peace with one of her friends she fell out with another. She could only hope that the others could get Skylor to see why she gathered all that research on them. If Nya could accept her reasons, then so could Skylor. As Pixel approached her locker, she frowned when she saw something was wrong.

Her locker was slightly opened and it looked like the lock was broken.

Green eyes wide in panic, the human opened her locker and was horrified to see her laptop was missing from its usual place. That panic soon turned to anger, however, and she went looking for the one person she knew was responsible for this. She charged down the hallway until she found Skylor casually talking to Lloyd and Nya.

"Where is it?!" Pixel angrily demanded, shocking everyone present.

"Where's what?" Skylor asked in confusion.

"My laptop!" She snapped. "Give it back now!"

"I didn't take it!"

"Er, Pixel?" Nya warned as the fight started to attract some unwanted attention by passing students.

"She broke into my locker and stole my laptop!"

"I never took your fucking laptop!" The wild girl snarled and Pixel saw red. She lunged at the red-haired teen and they both started wrestling on the floor while the crowd of students chanted 'Fight' over again. Nya and Lloyd tried to break up the fight but they pushed away by the crowd.

"That's enough!" Miss. Koko suddenly shouted as she burst through the crowd and pulled Pixel off Skylor while Nya and Lloyd held the wild girl back. "Both of you go straight to the Principal's office and I'll see you in lunchtime detention as well." She demanded and turned her attention to the other students. "The rest of you, back to class."...

* * *

"Are you all right, Pixel?" Zane asked as he met up with his girlfriend and they began to walk to their next lesson. He had heard what had happened between the human and Skylor but he was just relieved that his girlfriend was unharmed. Ever since she left the detention, however, he could tell she was still fuming over her missing laptop.

"It is just so sneaky." She seethed. "Even for her."

"I will get Morro to talk to her." He sighed. "Skylor would never come clean to me or the others, but you are sure it was Skylor?"

"Zane, I know you think this is just part of my obsession, but who else could it be?"

"It's just... I overheard the others talking about your research."

"Saying what?"

"That they agree with her, about your laptop and research, said they wanted to do something...maybe..." He gulped nervously as her eyes widened in realization. "All I am saying is maybe it is not just Skylor you should be suspicious of."

"You can't tell them, you can not let them know I am on to them." She warned.

"OK, but what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to get my laptop back." She stated before rushing away, leaving a confused and worried Zane behind. She waited until the bell rang and all the students were in class, leaving the hallways empty before she made her move. Acting quickly, Pixel ran to the werewolf teens' lockers and used a paper clip to pick the locks so she could get inside. Unfortunately, it was a waste of time. Her laptop wasn't in any of her friends' lockers.

She even checked Zane's but there wasn't anything remotely suspicious in any of them...

* * *

Pixel wasn't the only one in a bad mood, Skylor had spent the entire lunch hour sat in detention alone with Pixel, who wouldn't stop glaring daggers at her the entire time. The others were also walking on eggshells since they found out about the fight between Pixel and Skylor and about how Pixel's laptop going missing. They could only hope that Skylor didn't do anything stupid with the laptop. That hope vanished when they found all their lockers opened and a quick sniff revealed Pixel's scent.

It was then they knew they needed to fix this before it got out of hand, but they didn't know how to confront either girl.

"Oh, come on, this is stupid." Cole finally sighed in frustration.

"Yeah, let's just go talk to Skylor." Jay agreed and with a nod, they went to find the red-haired girl. They found her glaring at Harumi and her gang laughing about something and before she could react, they grabbed her and dragged around the corner so they could talk in private.

"What's going on?" She asked when they let her go.

"Pixel's gone and broken into our lockers!" Kai growled.

"Why?"

"'Cause she thinks we took it!" Lloyd glared.

"Took what!?"

"The laptop!" They all screamed at her.

"Didn't you?" She asked in confusion.

"What?" Morro gasped. "We thought you took it!"

"Of course, we didn't!" Nya cried. "You took it!"

"No, I didn't." She replied just as Pixel rounded the corner, a worried Zane following close behind her.

"Alright, which one of you stole my laptop?!" She screeched, causing all the werewolves' to flinch due to their advanced hearing.

"First, did you break into our lockers?!" Cole snapped.

"Yes!" She admitted. "I was looking for my laptop!"

"We didn't take your laptop!" Jay exclaimed.

"Y-You didn't?"

"No!" They all shouted.

"But Skylor was going through my locker and Zane heard you all talking!" She shouted and everyone glared at Zane, but the white-haired teen gasped when he was hit with a horrifying realization.

"So no-one here has actually stolen anything?" He asked and they all nodded. "Then someone out there has got hold of Pixel's laptop." He muttered and they all finally saw the real problem was. Someone had stolen Pixel's laptop with all the werewolf research on it. They also knew Pixel didn't have a password on it so all the thief would have to do was turn it on and click on the right file and see all their secrets.

"I told you!" Skylor screamed. "I told you this would happen!"

"What are we going to do?" Kai panicked.

"Find out who actually stole the laptop," Lloyd stated, trying not to show his fears.

"Someone could be going through everything now!" Skylor snarled. "All our secrets!"

"Then a useful idea would be helpful, Skylor!" Morro snapped.

"I've got one!" Pixel suddenly cried as she pulled out her phone. "I just remembered I have GPS on my laptop, it is linked to my phone."

"So you can track it?" Nya asked and Pixel nodded.

"You just decided to tell us this now?" Cole glared.

"I'm sorry but I wasn't exactly short on leads until now." She hissed before she loaded up the GPS app and they all breathed a sigh of relief when it revealed the laptop's location.

Thankfully it was still somewhere in the school. Knowing that they might now have much time before the thief found out their secrets, they all followed their human friend as she tracked the signal. They ended up walking out the back entrance of the school and around to where students and teachers parked their vehicles. Pixel's GPS started beeping signally that who stole her laptop was somewhere in this parking lot. As they split up to search the area, Skylor suddenly caught the scent of an unfamiliar human.

Letting a low growl, she bolted towards the source and found someone with a blue hoodie hiding their face.

They were sat on the ground behind a yellow car with Pixel's opened laptop on their lap as they scrolled through her un-opened files. Without thinking, the wild girl lunged forward, getting a high-pitched yelp from the thief. The others quickly arrived and pulled Skylor off the thief while Pixel checked her laptop. Thankfully it was undamaged and the file with all the werewolf research was un-opened. It was then they all got a good look at the laptop thief.

"YOU?!"...

* * *

Chad's cousin, Brad Tudabone, blushed a bright red as he sat in an empty classroom with Lloyd and his friends lecturing him on the wrongs of stealing. They could somewhat understand why the boy did what he did, however. He explained how Chad and his gang were threatening him for money or else and they all knew Chad well enough to know he would go through with the threat, cousin or not. But that did not excuse him for stealing Pixel's laptop.

"If Chad was threatening you for cash, you should've said something." Jay scolded.

"Oh, yeah, sure." Brad scoffed.

"Yes, sure." Kai glared and the thief looked away in shame at his actions.

"OK, let's go." Lloyd sighed and the others nodded, seeing that Brad had seen the error of his ways.

"What? That's it?!" Skylor cried out in rage.

"We got it back, that's all that matters." Replied Morro.

"But we can't just let him go!" She snarled.

"What do you want to do, arrest him?" Nya frowned.

"He just made a stupid mistake," Zane added.

"Thanks, and, um...sorry, Pixel," Brad muttered as he slowly stood up and nervously grabbed her bag. "Really, sorry."

"We won't say anything," Pixel reassured, only to fix him with a glare. "But if you ever do anything like that again..."

"I won't, I swear." He nodded and made to leave, only to stop at the door and turn back to her. "Hey, Pix, what was that wolf stuff?" He asked at the teens all felt their stomachs drop in cold fear.

"W-What?" She asked.

"You had a folder, think it was called 'Wolf Data'?" He explained and Skylor sent the pale girl with an enraged glare while the others internally panicked.

"Oh... just a p-project thing." She smiled shakily. This answered seemed to satisfy Brad and he quickly left without another word. Everyone just stood there in silence, trying to process what had just happened. Zane looked to each of his friends and the look they were all giving him said everything. With a heavy sigh, he reluctantly nodded and they all left, leaving Zane and Pixel alone in the classroom to talk, but her boyfriend still had yet to look at her.

It was a few minutes before anyone said anything.

"We almost lost everything." He muttered.

"I'll get a hard drive." She mumbled, instantly knowing where the conversation was going.

"You know that's not the point."

"I promise this won't happen again."

"How can you make promises like that, Pixel?" He asked as he faced her with a blank expression. "We trusted you with our lives! Our secrets! Everything!" He exclaimed, his anger starting to rise and boil. "You were supposed to keep us safe!"

"That's what I've been doing!" She cried desperately. "I didn't know Brad would-"

"None of us did!" He snapped. "You can't protect us from something you can't see coming, Pixel!"

"But I can try." She whimpered, feeling tears welling up in her eyes. "Zane, please...don't ask me to..."

"Pixel..." He sighed as he knelt down next to her. "I know it's difficult."

"No, Zane, you don't know!" She shouted. "For years after the beast in the forest, everyone thought there was something wrong with me." She started sobbing as she clutched her laptop close to her chest. "This research, it's... it's... it's proof that all those horrible things people said to me no longer matter; it is proof that I never have to doubt myself ever again." She pleaded and for a brief moment, Zane felt his heartbreak for the girl he loved.

Unfortunately, this was too close a call for them to just overlook.

"Pixel, the real proof is right in front of you; me, and our friends." He said, placing a comforting hand over hers. "How are a few photos and videos going to change that? You can keep your research or you can keep us safe; today's proved you really can't do both." He explained, but Pixel didn't say anything. She didn't even look at him. With a heavy sigh, Zane stood up and made to leave.

"Wait." She suddenly said just before he reached the door. He turned around and watched as she reluctantly opened the laptop and with a shaky breath, deleted all the research and evidence she had collected on her werewolf friends. After it was done, she closed the laptop and just sat there in silence, almost as if she was in a form of shock. "Ever since I was a child, looking for the beast has been my life." She finally said in a monotone voice.

"I know."

"Then it was all about you, guys." She chuckled bitterly and turned to look at her boyfriend in the eye. "What am I supposed to do with all this free time?"

"There's more to you than just Pixel the Beast-hunter."

"Like what?"

"If you wanted to, you could reinvent yourself, or you could just keep on being you; wonderful, loyal, clever you." He smiled lovingly, only to jump in shock when she suddenly rushed forward and pulled him into a tight, loving hug. He stood in shock for a moment before returning the hug and they slowly sunk to the floor, completely uncaring to the world around them...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> REST IN PEACE KIRBY MORROW  
> August 28, 1973 – November 18, 2020
> 
> "Ninja Never Quit and Ninja Will Never Be Forgotten"


	16. Cole Doesn't Live Here Anymore Part 1

Kai sighed as curled up on the couch with Cole while Nya angrily paced around in front of them. He could tell his mother was angry too, as he could hear her making dinner, almost breaking the chopping board. To help the school raise some money, Harumi had put together a school Sadie Hawkins dance for next week on the condition that they brought a date. Thankfully the dance was set for a date a few days after Kai's cast came off, meaning he and Cole could dance.

He and his boyfriend had also finally caught up with most of their school work, so Ray and Maya agreed to let them go.

They both were very excited to finally go to a school event as a couple. Unfortunately, something must have upset the lead cheerleader because as soon as she heard that Kai and Cole were attending the dance together she got them barred from the event for not keeping with the Sadie Hawkins tradition. To Kai and the others' shock, the school actually agreed to her decision. To say the pack was upset was the understatement of the millennium.

"You know what it's just not fair!" Nya screamed when they told her what had happened just as Ray came home.

"This is total bullshit!" Cole growled in agreement.

"What are you kids freaking out about?" Ray asked, frowning at Cole's choice of words.

"There's a school disco coming up to help raise money for the hockey teams' new uniforms and the school says that Cole and Kai can't go together since no girls have asked them," Maya explained as she angrily peeled some potatoes.

"Oh, there's a simple solution here." Ray shrugged. "Why don't you just ask some big girls with short haircuts from the girls' softball team who want to go?"

"We shouldn't have to fool them into letting up go!" Kai snapped.

"Yeah, besides, those girls scare me," Cole admitted and he, Kai, and Nya winced at the thought of the girls from the softball team. Most of them were nice but a few were downright horrible to other people and more than half of them looked like grown men.

"I agree, it sucks, but there's nothing we can do." Nya sighed as she slumped onto the couch next to her brother.

"Stop talking like that." Maya scolded the teens. "Back when I was a teenager if we didn't like something we fought the system."

"Let me tell you kids something if I was a gay teen and I had a boyfriend I would fight for my rights and I would win and I would be at that dance awkwardly trying to figure out who was going to lead!" Ray exclaimed, getting a confused and annoyed look from his two children and Cole.

"You know what Dad's right!" Nya cheered as she shot up from her seat. "This is an outrage and it's discrimination! We should protest the school until they either let you two go together or cancel the dance!"

"Yeah!" Kai agreed with a big grin.

"Let's go organize our protest!" Cole smirked and all three went to Nya's room to being planning...

* * *

Maya hummed a little tune to herself as she finished her grocery shopping for dinner tonight, having basically ruined any food from her anger last night. She really hoped the teens could convince the school to let Kai and Cole go to the dance. When they told her what had happened she had wanted to go to Harumi's house and teach the diva a terrifying lesson she would not soon forget. Sadly, she didn't want to spend the night in a cell, so she had to take her anger out on chopping vegetables.

She felt so bad for her son and his boyfriend.

She still was a little uncomfortable with her son's sexuality but ever since Cole had moved into their apartment, Maya had gotten the chance to get to know Cole. The raven-haired teen was a very kind, strong, and gentle boy. He loved Kai and that was all that mattered. As the female werewolf was putting her groceries in the trunk of the car, her enhanced senses suddenly caught a familiar, unwanted scent. She turned and saw a nervous Lou standing behind her.

"How is he?" He asked after a moment of silence.

"Oh, you mean Cole? Your son? The one you haven't spoken to in nearly six weeks?" She asked sarcastically as she walked right into the human's face.

"Yes him." Lou sighed, wisely keeping his eyes to the ground.

"Well if you really want to know he's still living at our apartment and I'm sure he would love to see you."

"No, I can't." He mumbled and made to leave, only for Maya to grab his arm.

"Lou, your son is hurting and he misses you!" She cried, pleading with him to listen. "He doesn't understand why you've just turned your back on him! Now get over there and go see your son!"

"...You don't understand."

"You're right, I don't." She sighed in defeat before closing the car's trunk and driving away, leaving Lou standing alone in the parking lot. Her hands tightly gripped the steering wheel in rage as she saw the veins on the back of her hands darken in anger. She wanted to shout and scream some sense into Cole's father but knew once she got started she might not be able to stop and then who knows what she would do to him. It was a miracle she didn't transform behind the wheel.

As soon as she got home she saw Ray sat in an armchair, casually reading a paper.

A quick sniff told her the kids weren't home yet. They must have still been talking to the school about letting Cole and Kai attend the dance. That was a relief because the last thing she wanted was for her children and Cole to see her anger. She quickly put the groceries away and sat down on the couch by her husband.

"I just saw Lou at the mall." She sighed. "I hate to say it but I don't think he's ever going to take Cole back."

"Well, at least he's talking to us now, it's the first time since he kicked Cole out." He replied hopefully just as Cole and Kai walked in.

"Hi, honey." Maya smiled as she hugged the two boys. "How'd it go?"

"Not good." Cole sighed. "The school's still not gonna let us go together."

"It fucking sucks." Kai spat, only to flinch away at his mother's glare at his words. The boys quickly went to their rooms and Maya let out a sad sigh before she went to make dinner, not seeing the thinking look on her husband's face...

* * *

The principal felt like slamming his head against his desk at the moment. For almost an entire hour Ray Smith had been sat in his office, lecturing him about not allowing Kai Smith and Cole Brookstone to attend the dance together. After they had told him that they had been unable to change the school's mind, Ray had been thinking about this all night. He knew he had a big mouth and a temper and he was going to use it. He had come into the school the next morning and he refused to leave until he got his son and Cole into that dance.

Unfortunately, the principal was as stubborn as an old mule.

"I'm sorry Mr. Smith, but I've made my decision." The principal said as soon as Ray was done shouting.

"You know what, you're unbelievable!" Ray roared. "Do you have any idea what kind of message you're sending out to people who aren't like you and me?!"

"Please, do not include me in your group Mr. Smith." He glared and Ray had to stop himself from punching the man right then and there. It was then that the principal realized something. "Why is it only you here?"

"Because my wife has a job, unlike your piece of arm candy." He spat venomously.

"I meant why isn't Cole's father here as well?"

"Oh, well, his father kicked him out when he came out and we took him in."

"Is the state aware of this?"

"No, but why don't have to bother them with all that."

"I'm afraid we do." The principal smirked and Ray paled...

* * *

Maya sighed in relief as she relaxed on the couch with a freshly poured glass of red wine in her hand. She had managed to finish work early and arrived home to an empty apartment so she took the opportunity to try and relax a little. She was about to take a sip of wine when all of sudden the front door burst open and a panicked Ray came running in, startling his wife. As soon as he saw her, Ray took a deep breath to compose himself and straightened himself up.

"Remember when we thought me sticking up for Kai and Cole was a good idea?" He asked nervously.

"Yeah?"

"Well, Social Services are on their way over to take Cole away."...


	17. Cole Doesn't Live Here Anymore Part 2

Ray and Maya shifted awkwardly in their seats at their dining table as a very official-looking lady from Social Services sat across from them. The social worker was a very tall woman with cold eyes and short curly light brown hair. She was wearing a black, tight, long-sleeved shirt and a light blue tall skirt with red-framed glasses and black high-heeled boots. Ray couldn't help but keep his nervous eyes on the dining room table to avoid her sharp gaze.

He felt as if the social worker's gaze was burning a hole right through his soul.

He doubted any parent wanted a social worker in their home, especially one who's specifically sent to take a child away and possibly send them to prison for not informing the state about Cole living with them. Cole, Kai, and Nya were out with their other friends. Both he and Maya thought it would be best if they weren't there to see this. A tense silence filled the apartment, no one dared make a sound. Thankfully Maya had more confidence than her husband as she stared at the social worker with a blank face, both women waiting for the other to break first.

Luckily, Ray finally managed to work up the nerve to break the uncomfortable silence by clearing his throat and looking up at the social worker.

"Um, welcome to our lovely home." He smiled shakily. "This must be a relief for you to come to a house where no one has done anything wrong."

"I bet it's almost like a vacation," Maya added.

"Oh sure, making my way here from the other side of the city during rush hour is like traveling through the south of France on a luxurious boat." She shot back harshly and the awkward tension returned.

"Such imagery, you should be a writer." He chuckled nervously as he felt himself starting to sweat. "So to the matter at hand, how do we keep this little homosexual teen who's dating my son living in this apartment?"

"Well, if his father was willing to make you legal guardians it wouldn't be an issue." She explained. "But without Mr. Brookstone's approval, I have to put Cole in with a foster family."

"Ok, what if we became Cole's foster family? Doesn't the city cut you a big fat check for that every month?" Ray asked, getting a harsh glare from his wife.

"Yes, but it's a complicated process and would require state officials to approve of you two as capable guardians." She explained. "If by some miracle that actually did happen, we're looking at a three to six months process."

"What happens to Cole in the meantime?" Maya asked.

"He'll be placed in a group home."

"B-But w-we took him in and we're doing really good with him," Ray said.

"Yeah, he's healthy, he's getting really good grades, he's feeling great about himself," Maya added.

"We were a little freaked out at first but now we really want him to stay, so can he stay?" He pleaded.

"Mr. and Mrs. Smith, I do agree with you, but it's either his own home or a group home." She sighed. "It might not make sense but that's the way the system works."

"Well with your sunny and cheerful disposition I can see why they choose you to work with children," Ray grumbled, getting another glare from his wife...

* * *

Lou sighed as he sat alone in his apartment, flipping through the channels on his TV. He never realized how quiet the place was without Cole. Usually, the raven-haired teen had his music blasting, whether it be from a stereo or his headphones. It was so loud Lou didn't need any fancy werewolf powers to hear it. He did miss his son, but he couldn't accept his lifestyle. Contrary to what people may think, he wasn't disappointed IN his son, he was disappointed FOR his son.

He just wished Cole was a nice, normal boy, with a decent, loving wife and a couple of kids for good measure.

He preferred it if his son wasn't gay but that didn't make Lou the devil for it. Being a werewolf already limited Cole's relationship options, but being a GAY werewolf wasn't much better. He might be able to get his head around Cole being gay if it wasn't for his choice of men. He didn't like the Smith family or their precious son in the slightest. He couldn't understand why Ray and Maya were allowing this to continue right under their own roof.

As parents themselves, they shouldn't be encouraging their children to be having sex or inviting their partners to stay in their home.

True, Nya was a nice enough girl, and Lou was a little upset that Cole wasn't dating her instead of her brother. Kai Smith was hot-headed, reckless, a flirt, and Lou knew he would badly break his only child's heart. He knew he was hurting his son but staying away, but sometimes a parent had to hurt their child a little bit to do what was best for them in the long run. He was suddenly dragged out of his thought by a loud banging on his door.

The dancer quickly opened the door and was shocked and angry to find Ray Smith standing on his doorstep.

"I don't want to be here anymore than you want me to be here, but we've got a serious problem on our hands," Ray said and Lou could see the panic in his eyes.

"It is no longer my problem, it is your problem." He shot back.

"Interesting, you refer to your own son as 'it' yet everybody believes Garmadon is the worst father in the pack."

"So you came to my home to insult me?"

"No, that's just an extra added benefit," Ray smirked. "Look, Social Services found out I'm not Cole's legal guardian and they're coming to take him to a foster home tonight." He explained and Lou felt a twinge of fear for a moment, but it quickly vanished.

"Well... if your two children are luckily they'll take them with him." He snapped and made to close the door but Ray put his foot in the way and forced the door open again.

"Lou, this is serious." He warned. "If you don't do something you might not ever see Cole again!"

"Fine with me, as far as I am concerned he is no longer my son!"

"What the fuck's the matter with you?!" Ray snarled his short patience finally at its end. "All Cole is doing is being true to himself and that's all any parent should want for their kids! We can't control who they become any more than our parents could control how we turned out! I mean, did your parents want you to marry a werewolf and became a dancer? Did my parents want me to move my whole family away to the middle of a big city?" He asked and Lou paused in thought. "We had to choose our own paths and that's what Cole is doing yet you want to disown him because he likes getting naked with other guys and play around like that?"

"You know, you almost had me for a minute there." Lou spat before shoving Ray away from his door and slamming it in the werewolf's face...

* * *

Nya sighed as she returned home from her swim practice to find Kai sat on the couch, clearly upset drowning his sorrows in chocolate ice cream. She took a quick sniff and realized that their parents and Cole were home and she could hear them packing things up in Cole's room. Their father must not have convinced Lou to take Cole back, meaning that their friend was going to be placed in foster care. None of the Smith family wanted to just give up like this but they had done everything they could.

There was nothing else they could do except let Social Services take Cole.

It could be more than a year before they saw him again. She was about to comfort her brother when their parents and Cole came rushing into the room with bags in their arms.

"Hurry up that social worker will be here any minute!" Maya explained as they started grabbing bits and pieces they may need.

"What's going on?" Nya asked.

"We're sneaking Cole out of here," Ray replied. "We're putting him up in a motel until we figure out what to do next with him."

"For how long?" She asked but no one could answer that. Cole and Kai embraced each other tightly, scared to let each other go. Knowing they were short on time, Maya reluctantly separated the young couple and led Cole to the front door. They all shared a sorrowful look as Ray opened the front door, only to freeze when they saw the social worker from early standing in the doorway. Her hand was raised as if she was just about to knock.

She took one look at the scene and knew what was going on.

"Going somewhere?" She asked with a growl.

"Not anymore." Cole sighed as he tossed his bag on the couch in defeat. The two parents did the same as the social worker stepped into the apartment.

"I can't believe you were going to try and sneak this boy out of here!" The social worker exclaimed.

"What are you going to do? Make a federal case out of this?!" Ray asked sarcastically.

"Well kidnapped traditionally leads to a federal case!"

"You just have all the answers, don't you?!" Kai snapped. "But not the right one on how to help us!"

"Yea and what about what's best for the child?" Maya asked. "I mean isn't that what child services are about?"

"Look, don't you think I'd prefer to see Cole in a happy home? Or at least here?" She asked, receiving a glare from the family. "I'm sorry but my hands are tied, Cole, it's time to go." She sighed as she and Cole stood up. Kai grabbed his boyfriend's hand as tears welled up in his eyes.

"Don't worry about me babe, I'll be fine," Cole reassured with a teary smile as he kissed Kai on the forehead. Just then there a knock at their front door and Nya went to answer it. She gasped and stepped aside to allow Lou Brookstone to enter the living room, much to everyone's shock. Ray and Maya glared at him but said nothing as the human pushed past them to nervously approach the social worker.

"I am his father, and I am willing to let him come back home." He said in a forced tone of voice.

"Really?" Cole gasped in surprise and hope. Lou nodded but kept his eyes to the floor as he and his son made to leave.

"No, stop right there Lou!" Ray suddenly exclaimed, to everyone's mute horror. "What do you mean you're 'willing to let him come back home'?! Sorry but that's not going to cut it!"

"Ray stop!" Maya exclaimed.

"Please don't do this!" Kai begged but his father ignored all of them.

"No! You're not going to just 'let him come back home', you're going to accept your son for the way he is, you're going to give him your unconditional love, and then you're going to apologize to him for the way you treated him!" He demanded but Lou remained silent, glaring at the male werewolf glaring at him.

"Or," Cole suddenly said, trying to break the tension. "How about I go home, everything is super awkward for everyone, eventually we start to like each other a bit and from there we just go with the flow?" He offered with a nervous chuckling, hoping his father didn't change his mind.

"I can live with that." Lou agreed and after Cole said thank you to the Smiths for all they did for him and giving his boyfriend a goodbye kiss, they both left the apartment. As soon as they were gone, Kai hugged both his parents loving.

"Thank you." He sighed in relief at the thought that his boyfriend wouldn't be going into foster care. Both his parents smiled only for Ray's eyes to widen when he suddenly realized something. He quickly escaped the group hug and ran over the large kitchen window that overlooked the busy street in front of their apartment building. He looked out and saw Lou and Cole walking to the older Brookstone's car.

"HEY BROOKSTONE, UP HERE!" He shouted down and Cole and Lou looked up at him in confusion. "YOU OWE ME 612 DOLLARS FOR FOOD AND ESSEIANLS!"...


	18. A Wild Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Skylor's first Christmas with the Ninjago pack.

It was Skylor's first Christmas away from the wild pack and she was spending it with Lloyd's pack and of course Pixel. According to Kai, the pack had always spent Christmas together at one of their homes. It was Lloyd's time to host Christmas this year. Morro and Pixel were also going to be there but only to decorate the Christmas tree. Then Morro and Pixel would be going home to spend the rest of the day with their own families. Morro had tried to convince his foster parents to let him spend Christmas with Lloyd's family but they had refused.

So they tried to spend as much time as they could together and having fun decorating the tree.

Skylor was worried as she watched the others decorated Lloyd's house for the holidays. Being raised in the wild, with little to no human interaction, she had never celebrated Christmas so she felt a little uncomfortable, not sure what she should be doing. The others had tried to explain it all to her. All Skylor could gather, however, was that they didn't have to go to school until January and for some reason, Kai Smith had a deep, seething hatred for Elves, Gingerbread men, and possibly Santa.

After sitting on the couch for a few awkward minutes, Skylor finally got up to help with the decorating.

Sometimes Skylor would get carried away with the baubles and tinsel getting tied up and setting the rest of them into a fit of giggles.

"Oh shut up, can you now get me out of this?" She sighed exasperatedly. Nya giggled again and she and Zane began to unravel the tinsel off of the wild girl. Eventually, it was all off of her and they proceeded to decorate the tree. Half an hour later the tree sparkled and shone with a new light as they put the last bauble on the tree. Once the tree was decorated, Misako took the star out of one of the boxes.

"Who should put the star on the tree this year?" She asked and everyone glanced at Skylor.

"I think Skylor should do it, Mom," Lloyd smiled. "I mean, it's her first Christmas away from the wild pack and we don't know how long she'll be away from them."

"Good point bro." Kai nodded.

"Are you sure?" Skylor asked.

"Come on Skylor, it'll make you feel special and a part of all of us." Cole encouraged. Misako passed the star and Skylor smiled as she walked slowly towards the glittering tree. Skylor took one look at the tree's top and turned to look pleadingly at Cole and Morro, the both of them being the tallest in the room, who both looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

"Alright but only because it's Christmas." Morro laughed before they picked her up and put her on their shoulders. Skylor reached up and placed the star on the top of the beautiful tree. At that moment the house became more warming and happy. Afterward, Morro and Pixel had to go to spend time with their families so hugs, goodbyes, and 'Merry Christmas' were said and done all around than the two friends left...

* * *

Skylor was practically drooling as she tried not to raid the kitchen. She was about to have her very first real Christmas Dinner and not some animal, or scraps, like in the wild. Zane was cooking the dinner, with Misako and Edna helping, while Skylor and the others watched Christmas movies on the TV. While everyone was enjoying the movies, Skylor felt most of them were the same, just with a different cast. She did like some of the movies, though.

Her favorite had to be the one with the green, hairy man stealing presents from a town of people who all looked like demon-possessed hippos.

As they watched another movie, Zane announced that dinner was ready and they all sat around the table, which was carefully laid with place-mats in front of them, knives and forks on either side of them, and a cracker next to the drink. Because there were so many people at Lloyd's house for Christmas Jay, Ed, Ray, Nya, and Dr. Julien had to eat their food in the living room. Skylor stared delightedly at all the freshly cooked food on the table on the table.

She couldn't wait to try the food because her father, Chen, didn't ever have Christmas dinner or celebrate Christmas whatsoever.

Zane, Misako, and Edna started serving out the food to everyone and Zane put one of everything on Skylor's plate just to try. Skylor stared at her plate in awe and hunger. As the others began to eat with knives and forks, Skylor picked up a large piece of turkey, put it in her mouth, and ripped it apart with her teeth. Chewing noisily she swallowed and took another bite clearly loving turkey. Everyone just stared at her as she picked the newfound food with her fingers, stuffing it in her mouth and chewing very loudly.

"Skylor, slow down." Maya giggled softly. Skylor gave her a confused look obviously not realizing what she meant. So she began eating again loudly to the displeasure of the others. Soon she was finished while the others had barely started.

"Did you enjoy that?" Lou asked humorously.

"Yes thank you." She nodded, not understanding the sarcasm. When they had all finished their food, crackers were pulled. Kai pulled his' with Skylor, which he won, receiving a cheap, plastic hair clip.

"Did you enjoy your first Christmas away from the pack, Skylor?" Uncle Wu asked later.

"Yes it was fun especially trying the food," She replied and they all laughed...

* * *

Skylor had enjoyed the rest of the day at Lloyd's house. From decorating the tree, watching Christmas films on the TV, and, of course, her favorite part, eating Christmas dinner. Now she almost reluctant to say goodbye to the others and went back through to the depth of the forest to her cold, abandoned caravan. At least she had had a lovely day to look back on. As everyone was also getting ready to leave, the teens hugged their parents tightly.

"Thank you," Lloyd whispered to his mother and uncle.

The blonde-haired teen was so glad that they had all gotten along with Skylor. It didn't happen very often and Skylor seemed to have enjoyed the day. When Kai and had family gotten back to their own home, the brunette went up to the bed and he smiled to himself. He was glad that Skylor had enjoyed and he was sure he hadn't seen the red-headed girl smile so widely ever. Kai had sat on the edge of his bed, checking his social media, when he suddenly heard taps on his window.

He got up and hurried to the bedroom window. He opened the curtains to see Cole standing on the fire escape and quickly opened the window.

"What are you doing here?" Kai asked as his boyfriend was crawling through the window.

"I brought you something, close your eyes." He smiled mischievously. Kai closed his eyes with an amused smile on his face, wishing for it to be mistletoe. Cole watched as Kai closed his eyes and he carefully dug into his pocket for his present. He really hoped the brunette would like it and wouldn't get offended. He held it in his right thumb and forefinger just above their heads as he took one of Kai's hands in his left hand. Then he closed his own eyes slowly moving forward picturing Kai's calm beautiful face in his mind.

Suddenly, much to his and Kai's delight, his lips crashed into Kai's and they both kissed slowly and softly aware of each other in delight...

* * *

The next day, on boxing day, all the teens came over to Lloyd's to help clean up and hang out. Lloyd's mother and uncle had gone into the city to do some grocery shopping, giving the teens some privacy. Kai couldn't wait to tell Lloyd what happened yesterday with Cole. He was so happy and all day they shared glances at each other. Lloyd and Nya had noticed the lovey-dovey looks between them as they sat on the sofa watching some old Christmas movies.

For lunch, Zane prepared sandwiches with the rest of the turkey from the day before.

Everyone ate ravenously and was soon full. After they had eaten, they had quickly gotten bored and couldn't find any decent boardgames to play. It was then Morro made a fun suggestion, to which they all agreed. They decided they would play wrestling to keep them busy and they went into the garden. Firstly, Kai called out Cole to wrestle. They circled each other, watching each other's movements. Suddenly, as soon as he thought Cole was getting distracted, Kai pounced but at the last second Cole grabbed him, spun him around, then he was lying on the floor laughing.

As he was staring at Cole's laughing face, he jumped on the smaller teen and the pair of them wrestled on the ground.

Eventually, they lay next to each other laughing breathlessly, staring up at the clouds. The others just stood laughing through Nya's laugh was a bit strained. Nya understood that Cole loved her brother. He had made Kai feel safe and happy, but that didn't stop the uncomfortable feeling in her chest. Kai was still her brother and she wanted him to be happy, but she had made a silent promise that if Cole ever hurt the brunette, they'd be nowhere safe to hide.

If it was one thing Nya hated it was drastic changes to her life.

She liked things being easy, simple, and in a clear routine. That had been put to the test this year, however, with Morro and Skylor and now her brother dating one of their best friends. Even though she didn't trust Skylor at first, Nya had grown to like the red-haired girl the more time they spent together. It was nice for Nya to have another female, teenage werewolf to talk to. Pixel was a good friend, but she didn't fully understand what Nya or the boys were going through.

Even though she didn't say it, Skylor felt the same way about the others.

Now that she was in their pack it seemed more vital that she stuck to the rules in case she was thrown out of this pack which she loved. Nya and Jay wrestled but not with quite as much laughing as with Kai and Cole. Morro and Lloyd wrestled next but when they were both breathlessly lying on the grass, Cole, Jay, and Kai all shouted and they jumped on Lloyd and Morro all laughing and groaning. While the girls all snickered and joked, Zane rolled his eyes, but the small smile on his face showed his true feelings.

Skylor looked over everyone as they laughed, joked, and played around, thinking about her first Christmas.

She smiled warmly, knowing that she now had great friends and a supportive pack here. She had a feeling she'd enjoy this human Christmas holiday...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!


	19. Dancing With Werewolves

Ray frowned as his daughter stepped carefully down the stairs and into the kitchen. He scanned the little strapless dark blue dress with a black silk sash around her waist she was wearing, obviously for Jay's benefit, before his eyes flashed the deadliest shade of yellow a werewolf's eyes could. Kai, Cole, Lloyd, Skylor, and Morro were gathered in the living room. They were all waiting for Ray and Maya to go on their date night and for Jay to take Nya to the dance.

Since no girls had asked them, the guys couldn't go to the dance.

Skylor just didn't want to go to the dance, making the excuse that her father wouldn't give her any money for a ticket. After everything she had done, Harumi had the guts to ask Morro if he wanted to go to the dance with her. She shouldn't have been surprised when he turned her down in front of the entire student body. The only ones in their group going to this dance were Jay, Nya, Pixal, and Zane.

"Nya Aura Smith, what do you think you're wearing?" Ray glared.

"Mom said it was okay!" She quickly defended. "Don't freak out on me, Jay'll be here any moment," She growled, flinging her dad a matching glare as Maya walked into the kitchen. As soon as he noticed his wife, Ray gestured with an outraged look on his face at the scantily-clad teenage werewolf in front of him.

"Honey, what do you call this? There is way too much of our daughter's skin showing here!" He cried, not thinking his daughter's outfit was appropriate for a small high school dance. The dress was definitely not Nya's typical style. The skirt was short, and the back of the small dress left much of the girl's back uncovered. For all its skimpy qualities, however, the little dark blue dress did successfully cover any questionable areas. It was hard to criticize it too harshly without sounding too bigoted, and that's exactly what Maya's stare told her husband.

"Nya is no different than I was at her age, you do remember the dress I wanted to wear to the prom when we were teenagers?" She reminded him and Ray folded his arms, looking angrier than ever.

"Yes, and I distinctly remember your parents forbidding you to wear it!" He argued as Maya folded her arms too and threw a look right back at her husband.

"Yes, and we will not be making the same mistake, I'll have no body-shaming in this house!" She warned. "Now, this is a perfectly reasonable dress and this is Nya's choice, and I won't have you saying another word about it; not unless you like sleeping on the couch tonight." She ordered before helping Nya double-check her hair and makeup. Grumbling something under his breath Ray slapped a hand to his forehead, counted to five, and forced a bright expression on his face.

Nya came up to her dad and took both of his hands in hers, giving them a comforting squeeze as she strained on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek.

"Dad, please try to understand, I'm trying to wow Jay, you trust me, don't you?" She asked and Ray looked down at his daughter, his thin mustache twitching as he fought back the urge to snort. All the kids did lately was irresponsible. He loved his children but after everything that had happened this year, he didn't know if he could trust them anymore. It didn't help that Kai's cast had come off a couple of days ago. He'd have to rest his leg for a few more days but now he and the others were free to do more irresponsible things.

The thought of that absolutely terrified Ray and Maya.

Both he and Nya simultaneously thought back to the two times Kai had run away from home and everything else that had happened to their pack this year, but gradually the creases along Ray's brow smoothed out, and he gave his daughter a hug.

"Just... be careful tonight and don't give in to your wolf too much, and don't trust Jay, not even for a second." He warned and everyone had to refrain from rolling their eyes. "If he gets too grabby, you put him in his place immediately."

"Dad!" She cried as her eyes flashed with indignation. "You know Jay, we can trust him and he's of our pack, he's only been good to me."

"He's also a teenage boy," Ray said as if that explained everything, and Kai smirked.

"He has a point there, sis; just make sure you and Jay, whatever you do tonight, involves all of your clothes staying on."

"Kai!" Nya cried as she felt a blush spread across his face. Scandalized by her brother's implication, the female werewolf teen was saved by the doorbell. She practically skipped to the door and wrenched it open as if a savior stood on the other side, and there he was, the ginger werewolf boy with piercing blue eyes and freckles. He looked smart and attractive in a black tuxedo paired with a dark blue shirt and tie. Jay sucked in a breath when he saw Nya in her little dark blue dress.

Her long black hair had been knotted up in an elegant chignon, which drew the boy's eyes before he resettled his gaze on her beautiful face.

"You look... amazing." He muttered, feeling lost for words, and Nya smiled. Her hand snuck up to his face, caressing the side of his jaw as she slowly coaxed him to bend down until their lips joined briefly but tenderly. All of a sudden, they felt a presence of the dreaded, overprotective, parental variety, as if the two older werewolves had magically reappeared right beside them.

"You'll have her back by midnight, not a minute later," Ray said gruffly. Jay and Nya stiffened as they became suddenly self-conscious, but they couldn't resist holding hands as they turned around.

"I promise, Sir. You can rely on it."

"Good," Maya finished before Ray could say anything. "Because if you don't, you'll be answering to me." She added, her tone had a bite to it, but it seemed to be more for her husband's benefit than anyone else's. The secretive little wink Maya flashed at Jay told the scared boy that she did trust him with her daughter.

"Bye guys!" Nya called over her shoulder as Jay guided her down the front walk. Jay's parents had let him borrow their car for the dance on the condition that he brought it back in one piece. Jay politely opened the passenger door for his girlfriend and made sure she got in safely before shutting the door, sliding over to the other side, and hopping in. Soon they were off for a night of fun. Nya felt tiny butterflies in her stomach, but she didn't know why she was so nervous.

She and Jay had been dating for a few months now and it was not like this is an official date or anything.

Even after everything they had all been through together she had been looking forward to this ever since she asked him to the dance. Then she realized that she wanted everything to go perfectly tonight and that pressure was what was making her nervous right now. If it's this bad for her, she wondered what Jay was feeling. She glanced over and saw Jay licking his suddenly dried lips. His shoulders were hunched, and he sat stiffly as the car zoomed up a hill and around a curve.

They'd be at school in the next ten minutes or so.

"You've never told me whether you have any dance skills," Nya suddenly said and Jay cracked a smile, but she could see the nerves in the tightness of his face, plain as a full moon...

* * *

A line of clouds slashed across the crescent moon in the night sky as Jay pulled into the car park at Ninjago High. He opened the door for his date, who grumbled in annoyance.

"I can get it for myself, you know."

"I know you can," Jay said gently. "Will you just let me be the gentleman though? It makes me feel better." He said and, feeling suddenly shy, Nya nodded as Jay kept staring at her like a smitten idiot. "You really do look incredible tonight." He smiled as he nuzzled her before pressing his lips to hers. She hungrily kissed him back, and when he pulled away she almost whimpered in disappointment. He clasped her hand in his and tugged her through the car park, towards the gymnasium where most of the school's dances and charity events were held.

The two werewolves marveled at the principal's efforts to decorate the place.

Its brightly colored orange, mauve, and lavender walls lightened the place up with the disco ball hanging from the ceiling. Just in front of the entrance a professional photographer. He looked prim and proper and impatient all at once, herding one couple after the next to his curtained photo-stage.

"Can we NOT do that?" Nya whispered to Jay, but he grinned, tugging her towards impending doom.

"Why not, Nya? Don't you think we look good together?"

"We do, but who needs a stuffy picture to prove it?" She protested. "I prefer candid shots anyway and I can take some selfies of us later that'll be much better." She added but her words died as he pulled her to wait in line for the photographer. Nya sighed as her boyfriend slid an arm around her shoulders and gently rubbed her arm to keep her warm as a breeze rippled past them.

"Come on, it won't be that bad." He promised and she rolled her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder. She was trying not to feel that resurgence of nerves fluttering about in her stomach but it wasn't working. The nervousness gnawed at her like a dog at its favorite bone. Finally, with the photographs taken and printed, Nya and Jay could venture inside the gymnasium, and on to the dance floor. There were easily over a hundred people there.

Long rows of tables with drinks, appetizers, and mini slices of fudge brownie and cheesecake lined one side of the massive tent.

The DJ was playing all kinds of songs you would usually hear at dances like these just as Nya and Jay hit the dance floor. There they found Pixal wearing an icy-blue dress that complemented her elegantly plaited hair and pale skin. Her crystal earrings sparkled as her date, Zane, twirled her about.

"Nya! Jay!" She cried as she interrupted her dance with Zane to give Nya a big hug.

"Love your new earrings, Pix."

"Thanks! I love your dress!" She complimented as Zane stumbled through the crowd as Pixal and Nya sprang apart to avoid a collision. Zane was sporting an awkward figure in his white, ill-fitting tuxedo as he nearly face-planted on the floor. Luckily, Pixal caught him just in time before he collided face-first into the floor.

"You're supposed to be twirling me, not yourself," She smiled fondly as she, Nya, and Jay all laughed as Zane's face turned a pallor of embarrassment.

"No worries, buddy, we can't all be graceful on our feet," Jay teased, giving Zane a good-natured pat on the shoulder. He leaned in briefly, jerking his chin subtly in Pixal's direction as she started yanking her date back towards the center of the dance floor. "Besides, I think she'll be willing to put up with your clumsiness."

"Wish me luck," Zane called to the other couple over his shoulder, grinning sheepishly, as Pixal pulled him back towards center stage. They began dancing with impressive fervor, although it looked to Nya and Jay like Pixel, not Zane, was now the one leading, and that made the teen werewolves erupted in a fresh burst of laughter.

"Aren't you glad I'm a better dancer than that?" Jay asked and she lifted her chin with a skeptical look.

"Oh? The jury's still out on that, mister, or have you forgotten that I haven't ever seen you dance properly?" She grinned as Jay slid his hand along her bareback and took her left hand, pulling her in close for a slow dance as the next song came on. Nya licked her lips, suddenly extremely aware of her boyfriend, of his closeness, of the masculine scent of his after-shave. It had just the slightest touch so as not to irritate their heightened werewolf sense of smell.

It didn't cover that more powerful woodsy scent that was just pure Jay Walker.

The same scent that made her feel calm and safe in his arms as he gradually led her towards the edge of the floor.

"Where are we going?"

"Just somewhere for a little privacy," He said with a small smile and Nya's heart sped up as he maneuvered her into a more secluded corner of the dance floor.

"Nya, I want you to know that what you said in the car back there, about all you caring about being just us being together, well..." He slowly trailed off and her eyes filled with liquid as her gaze held his.

"Well, what?" She asked as one of Jay's hands now rubbed comforting, mind-melting caresses along her back.

"I just want you to know that's exactly how I feel, and tonight...I just want you to know, in case you had even the tiniest doubt...I know some guys come to an event like this with expectations." He said the last word distastefully, and it was then Nya knew what he meant. "That's not me, I don't want you to do anything you're not comfortable with, I mean, we don't have to even talk about that tonight, although at some point we probably should."

"You mean sex?" She blurted out and almost immediately regretted it, though she knew she shouldn't have. Now Nya was starting to blush a little too. They hadn't talked about how fast to take their relationship. They all knew Kai and Cole had done the dirty, despite the fact they hadn't been dating as long as his sister had, but Nya and Jay didn't feel ready for that. They'd been moving along with unspoken understanding for the most part, until now.

"You're very forward tonight," The ginger teen replied with a sudden, nervous grin as his blush darkened.

"Maybe it does." She smirked and her breath caught as Jay gently slid an errant hair away from her face. Then that same hand slid down her cheek as he leaned forward and gave her a slow-burning caress of a kiss, his lips just teasing hers. She protested as he readjusted their position and swept her back towards the middle of the dance floor.

"Jay, you can't do that, that's just mean, teasing me like that." She almost whined.

"You know that if we do anything more than kissing your dad, your mom and Kai will destroy me, is that what you want?" He asked and the female werewolf gave her boyfriend a wicked look, her eyes momentarily shifting to the burning yellow of her more primal self.

"I can think of worse outcomes." She growled as her back arched as she stepped in closer to him, loving the way his arm held her and his warmth encompassed her all at once. "I could stay like this forever."

"I-I'm just gonna go to the restroom." He suddenly said and vanished into the crowd. Nya sighed and went to look for a punch bowl...

* * *

The disco was almost over, not that Nya really had any time to enjoy it without her date. Jay had been gone for a while now but she hadn't seen him since he went to the restroom. He wasn't in the restroom, and thanks to all the cologne and perfume the other students were wearing she couldn't track his scent. At first, she thought he had left her at the disco but when she saw his car still parked outside she knew he must have still been at the disco.

As Nya looked on from the side of the room she could see Pixel and Zane still dancing together and it looked like Zane was doing a great job taking the lead.

Her eyes were constantly flitting around the room looking for one person, but all she saw instead were a crowd of horny, dancing teenagers. Just as she started to become a bit desperate she saw him. Over near the far end of the dance floor, Jay was having a quiet discussion with the DJ. She was tempted to listen in but it was over almost immediately. The DJ walked away with a small, fond, smile but with Jay, she saw he seemed more shy than usual.

Well, that was until he turned around and saw her looking at him, at which point he flashed her that cute smile that Nya loved.

She turned her head to the floor for a brief moment before looking back at him, returning his smile fully. This must have been some sort of confirmation as he began to walk towards her, pushing through the crowds as he did so.

"Hey." He greeted her softly, but loud enough that she could hear him over the constant thrumming of the music and her heartbeat, even without her enhanced hearing.

"Hey." She replied in the same tone. This was all that needed to be said between them as Nya leaned back against the wall, in the same position as herself, before tentatively placing his arm around her waist, drawing her in closer. The solid warmth of him at her side was reassuring. This is how she wanted this night to be for them. Together, side by side against anything, holding together to protect each other and not allowing anything to break the trust they had formed over the years.

She couldn't help but smile to herself as she rested her head on his shoulder, just as she had earlier.

Nya was so content that she could almost sense her eyes fluttering shut but was interrupted by the DJ announcing the last dance. She found she didn't care though as the music began to play. Her heart started to flutter as it always did when she heard the song. It was her favorite song. The only people who knew it was her favorite song were her brother and the boy standing next to her and had just been in conversation with the DJ. She would ask him later if he had anything to do with it.

'Closer' from the artists 'The Chainsmokers' filled the room as people paired up and began to slow dance together.

"Wanna dance?" Jay asked from beside her.

"I thought you didn't dance?"

"I guess I just never found the right person to dance with." He replied, a soft seriousness replacing any humor that was there before and was bestowed upon her through his intense gaze. Nya could feel the emotion rising up within her and it was all she could do not to well up so she answered him with a gesture. She took his hand and led him to the middle of the crowd. Nya reached up and clasped her hands, resting them on the back of Rhydian's neck as he placed his hands gently back on her waist.

They began to sway and turn in time with all the others, their eyes locked and smiles that didn't falter for even a second.

It was a perfect moment. The melodic notes of the song washed over them, bathing them in a sense of happiness. The soft tones of the singers made Nya feel even closer to the boy in her arms. She didn't know if it was this moment she realized she truly did love him or if she had known it all along. The sudden discovery was almost blinding in a way more beautiful than she thought possible, but all too soon it was over. The song came to an end and people stopped dancing, choosing to applaud the DJ and the eventual success of the night instead.

Nya and Jay reluctantly parted but not completely.

They settled for an arm around each other as they waited for people to filter out so that they could do the same. When the door was in sight she felt Jay lean over.

"I'll drive you home." He said in her ear, his warm breath cascading across her cheek and sending a slight shiver through her.

"Sure." She replied, looking at him from the corner of her eye. She had no intention of letting their night end there. When the exit finally came they made their way to the car. The night air was extremely cold but they barely even noticed as they climbed into the old vehicle and drove back towards Nya's apartment, giggles bubbling up every so often as they raced each other the way they always did. The trip didn't last long, since there wasn't much traffic.

They were about to enter the apartment building, but as they started to get closer to the Smith's home they both felt their hands intertwining sub-consciously.

The night was clear and the tiny stars finally had their time to shine brightly, now that the moon was almost temporarily in darkness. Nya suddenly stopped dead, making Jay stumble a little before looking at her with worry and confusion.

"Did you ask the DJ to play that song?" She asked and he looked relieved but also a little sheepish as he turned to face her properly.

"Guilty as charged."

"Thank you, you always seem to know exactly what I need," She said with a smile, trying to convey how heartfelt his actions were.

"It's nothing, you know I'd do anything for you Nya." He stated matter-of-factly, all she could do was step forward and hug him as tightly as was comfortable, resting her head on his chest as he wrapped his arms around her fully.

"I love you." She whispered so quietly she didn't know if he heard her but he clearly had.

"I love you too." He replied and she leaned out a little to look him in the eye and he loosed his embrace so that she could do so. She gave him a loving smile which he happily returned. Snow began to fall around them as she reached up to place her hand on his surprisingly warm cheek, their smiles were shared as they began to lean towards each other. Their lips touched so lightly that she wasn't even sure it happened. That was until they both unconsciously increased the pressure and Nya suddenly felt as if she was going to faint.

Jay's surprisingly strong arms the only thing that was holding her up.

The heat they were producing together was the only thing protecting them from the constant, heavy flurries of snow. As they parted they realized how covered in snow they really were. They started to giggle but secretly he thought she had never looked more beautiful. They knew they had to part here but not before they kissed again, this one lasting only a few seconds.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Jay said, preparing to go to his own house.

"Oh yeah, definitely." She replied, her smile still lighting up her face. They began to walk away from each other but they couldn't resist the urge to turn and wave to each other one last time. When she entered the quiet apartment, she saw her brother and Cole in the lounge, clearly noticing the huge smile she couldn't seem to get rid of. The others had left and a quick sniff told her their parents weren't home yet.

"Good night?" Kai asked, sharing that look with Cole.

"Yeah it was great, I'm going to go get ready for bed." She said, trying to leave as quickly as possible.

"Ok, night Nya," Cole called as she left the room. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" She heard her brother's boyfriend ask when he thought she couldn't hear them anymore.

"Oh yeah, definitely," Nya replied with his typical humor and they left it at that...


	20. Shipwrecked

Lloyd smiled as he breathed in the fresh salty air of the ocean. He was walking down to the dock on a nice, warm, sunny Sunday afternoon. He was going to meet his Uncle Wu on his boat so they could spend some time together and hopefully help Lloyd relax after all the stress that had been happening lately. Lloyd was looking forwards to this. He loved everyone in his pack but it was nice to be on his own. He loved his uncle's boat, the Destiny's Bounty.

It was originally his grandfather's boat that he passed to his sons and according to his mother, it had been in their family for many generations.

Even though he loved that old red boat, Uncle Wu refused to let any of the teens in their pack below deck. The only people they saw going into the boat was Uncle Wu and occasionally Ray and Maya. Today, that was about to change, however. Today his uncle promised to soo him when the boat held. Normally Uncle Wu left the boat in an isolated area of the beach, but Misako had convinced him to move it to the docks. As Lloyd got closer, however, he could hear some kind of commotion coming from the other side of the docks.

He soon found his uncle's boat among the countless others and saw that it was in desperate need of repair when compared to the others.

The Destiny's Bounty was a medium-sized, old-fashioned ship made primarily of wood and its prow was adorned with a large red dragon head. A porthole on the port side of the bow accommodated a large anchor that could be raised and lowered on a thick chain. The Destiny's Bounty had a single mast in the middle of its main deck, which was topped by a row of long, thin sails. When fully unfolded, the sails formed a wide fan-like formation and had red dragon designs printed on them.

On the very back of the ship, two small banners were present.

Now though, Lloyd could see the clear problems with the boat. The paint was faded and chipped, the metal was rusted and he could see a few old dents and scratches on the sides of the boat. When he turned the corner, he was shocked to see Harumi shouting at Uncle Wu.

"You shouldn't be here! You're a menace!" He heard Harumi shout at the old werewolf. "Your docking line broke because it's aged through!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't know." Uncle Wu replied calmly as Lloyd walked close to them.

"Wake up old man! Get with the times!"

"Hey Harumi, don't be rude." Lloyd glared as he stepped in between them. "Why don't you give him a chance to speak?" He suggested and they both turned back to his uncle.

"This old freak's boat got loose and crashed into mine and scratched up the whole side of it!" She shouted and pointed to her jet ski, which Lloyd now noticed had a large, messy scratch carved into the side.

"He said he's sorry." Lloyd counted.

"It's not going to pay for the damages, is it? I bet he doesn't even have insurance." She glared. "This boat shouldn't even be here, it's an ugly embarrassment, just like his!"

"You're overreacting, even for you." The teen werewolf glared.

"I am? We'll see what the harbormaster has to say." She hissed before storming off.

"Don't worry, she's all talk." He reassured his uncle once the lead cheerleader was out of hearing range.

"Thank you, Lloyd, why don't you come aboard?" He smiled and helped his nephew onto the boat...

* * *

It had been half an hour since the encounter with Harumi and now Lloyd was sat inside the Destiny's Bounty as the old werewolf made him a cup of green tea. The teen looked around and saw wind chimes, knick-knacks, and other strange items around the 'living room' of the boat. They all looked amazing, but Lloyd didn't see anything to prove the existence of werewolves or anything like that. Just then, Uncle Wu sat next to him and gently pushed the cup in his hands.

"Souvenirs from my travels." He suddenly said when he saw him looking at all his stuff. "I used to live on this boat when I was your age and traveled around the world."

"I didn't know you used to live on a boat."

"Not many people do, but truth be told I think that's because I haven't had anyone the Destiny's Bounty in nearly twenty years." He admitted as he seemed to drift off into his thoughts. "Your father, your mother, and I used to live on this boat as we traveled the world together, mostly for your mother's work; in fact, that's how we all met."

"Really?!"

"Oh yes, Garmadon, Ray, Maya, and I were traveling the world, visiting all the historical landmarks important to werewolf history, when we suddenly ran into Misako with an exhibition team." He explained. "She was the only werewolf on that team and the five of us spent some time together and the rest is history."

"Why doesn't Mom tell me things like this?"

"It's upsetting for her to look back on those times, especially after your father became wild." He replied and Lloyd sadly sipped his tea.

"Mr. Wu!" A voice suddenly called. The two werewolves looked out the window and saw the harbormaster walking up to the boat with a smirking Harumi in tow. The two of them quickly went outside to see what he wanted.

"Aw, hello Mr. Henry, here for some ice tea?" Uncle Wu smiled, but the harbormaster's frown didn't falter.

"You know why I'm here Mr. Wu, another complaint has been made against you." He replied in a cold voice.

"Are you going to evict him or what?!" Harumi suddenly barked, only to shut up when all three of them sent her threatening glares.

"Mr. Wu, we've spoken on many occasions, the last one was about unpaid fees and before that, you've been reminded time and time again to maintain your vessel according to regulations."

"I really need to read those letters."

"Your getting evicted old man! Now hurry up and move!" Harumi sounded off again.

"Do you mind?!" The harbormaster glared at her.

"You're taking too long!"

"Why're you doing this? You can't throw him out!" Lloyd glared as he stepped off the boat. Before anyone could say anything else, however, there was a pained gasp from Uncle Wu and they turned around in time to see him crumple to the ground, unconscious. At first, Lloyd just stood there in shock, staring at the body of his uncle on the ground. He wasn't sure how long had passed. The blonde-haired teen snapped out of his trance when he realized Uncle Wu was being loaded onto a gurney by a pair of paramedics from a private service.

Due to their werewolf DNA, Dr. Julien had arranged for all of them to use a private ambulance service to take them to his house for treatment.

"You'll be alright, do you want me to come with you?" He asked as a barely conscious Uncle Wu was lifted onto a stretcher by the paramedics and they started pushing him off the docks to where the ambulance was waiting, with Lloyd, Harumi, and the harbormaster keeping pace.

"They want my treasure." He replied in a pained whisper as Lloyd looked at him in confusion. "Please don't let them get my treasure." He pleaded as he was lifted into the ambulance and driven off.

"I-I didn't mean to give the crazy old man a heart attack," Harumi told the teen werewolf nervously.

"Maybe you should tell him that." He growled before dashing off, afraid he would do something he'd regret...

* * *

After Uncle Wu had been taken away in the back of an ambulance she had never seen before, Harumi had to endure the humiliation of being dragged back home by the harbormaster, who was greeted by her strict, irritated mother. When the harbormaster explained what had happened with Lloyd's mother, her mother was less than happy. She kept saying that she had no right going over there upsetting Lloyd's uncle, but Harumi just rolled her eyes in annoyance.

In her eyes, none of this was her fault.

That freak scratched up her expensive, brand new jet ski. Of course Mrs. Jade didn't see it like that. She told her distressed daughter that it was one little dent, and if the teen thought her father was going to pay for the repairs after what she had put that old man through then she wasn't as smart as she liked to think, before storming off. Harumi wasn't worried about her father not giving her the money, however. She knew how to pay for the repairs.

Those bastard Garmadons have to have a huge stack of money somewhere.

They never go on expensive vacations, both Lloyd's mother and his uncle work, Misako's the manager of the museum and his uncle manages a tea shop and a local dojo, and his precious friends are always eager to help out when any of them were in trouble. She didn't know what that blonde pest does to earn it, but either way, Harumi was going to get that money, no matter the cost...

* * *

That evening Kai came around to see where everyone was. After they had all heard from Zane that Uncle Wu had been rushed to his house for his father to treat after collapsing they all rushed over to the Garmadon family home to see if there was anything they could do. Luckily it wasn't anything serious so Lloyd's uncle was allowed to go home. Dr. Julien instructed that he didn't do anything to raise his blood pressure. The brunette was relieved to find Uncle Wu sitting on the couch, surrounded by his friends.

Uncle Wu was telling the other teens stories about the good old days while their parents were talking amongst themselves.

As the oldest werewolf re-told these old stories, the teens noticed the pained look on his face. Many of the most important things in his life happened on the old boat. Even though he hadn't had anyone on the Destiny's Bounty in eighteen years, he couldn't get rid of the boat. They had such happy memories aboard that old boat. As they continued talking, Misako suddenly came into the room with the phone in hand and a stoic look on her face.

"It's for you, it's the harbormaster." She said and handed the phone to the old man. As he listened to what the harbormaster had to say, Lloyd frowned at the sad, worried look on his uncle's face.

"What's wrong?" He asked when he hung up.

"They-They are saying I can not use my boat anymore and they are taking it away because it does not meet with their silly regulations." He explained as his voice began to crack. "It's all I have left of my father and brother and they are taking it away."...

* * *

Early the next morning, before Misako or Uncle Wu woke up, Lloyd rounded up Kai, Nya, Jay, and Zane and they headed straight to the docks armed with tools, paints, and brushes. When they finally found Destiny's Bounty they saw that the harbormaster had wrapped hazard tape around the old boat. Kai almost laughed at the sight of it. He knew that the boat was old and in desperate need of repair, but this was unbelievable. The others also had similar looks of disbelief and sympathy. They all knew why Lloyd wanted to fix the boat, but they were werewolves, not wizards.

"Dude, you can't be serious," Kai said to the blonde teen.

"Come guys, Jay, Nya, and Zane can fix its engine or whatever's wrong and Kai and I can give it a good paint job, it'll be good as new." He tried to explain when he saw the harbor master walking up to them. He took one look at the items in their hands and shook his head as he sighed sadly.

"Even if you kids did try and fix it up it wouldn't make a difference; the interior of the boat is almost completely rusted over, she's not seaworthy and it's already been impounded by the water police, now you kids better run along before I arrest you all for trespassing." He warned and walked off. They all glared daggers into his back before heading back home...

* * *

That evening the docks were dead to the world. The only sounds coming from it were the gentle splash of the still, dark, silent ocean and the occasional squawking of seagulls. Everything on the docks was secure and locked down. Or so it would seem. Uncle Wu silently crept along the dimly lit docks to his large red boat and climbed aboard. This was HIS boat. It had been in their family for generations, and he wasn't about to let the city take it away because it needed a few repairs.

Almost all his good memories with his father, brother, Misako, and most of his younger years were on this boat.

He had hoped that he would pass this boat down to Lloyd and the teen would travel, learn, and maybe finding his place in this harsh human world as he had. The old man quickly made his way to the controls and smiled when he turned it on and the motor started purring like a kitten. It stuttered a little but soon settled so he raised the anchor to set sail. As he started to make his way out of the docks he frowned when he started hearing a loud, scraping sound coming from outside.

He quickly looked out the window and almost cursed to himself when he saw that he had just reversed into Harumi's jet ski again.

Unfortunately, he couldn't stop now, not if he wanted to save his boat. He had no choice but to floor it and speed out of the docks and into the endless night...

* * *

The next morning Misako was in the kitchen making breakfast when Lloyd came over, looking around in confusion. He hadn't seen his uncle since they had dinner last night. He was not in his room and some of his things were gone. When Misako said she didn't know where Uncle Wu was, Lloyd groaned before dashing off to find the old man. He checked the dojo and the tea shop but no one had seen his uncle. He ran to the only other place he knew the old werewolf would be.

When he arrived at the docks, however, he found that not only was the Destiny's Bounty gone but Harumi and Morro were there, staring at Harumi's half-submerged jet ski.

Morro was supposed to be here with his foster parents to take part in some water spots in hopes of growing closer as a family. For this, they had rented a pair of motorboats that were parked close by. Lloyd couldn't see the other werewolf's foster parents, so he assumed they had gone to find the harbormaster. Morro had chosen to stay behind, trying to calm Harumi down, but it wasn't working.

"He did this." She seethed in anger.

"You don't know that." Harumi tried to reason but the lead cheerleader wasn't having any of it. She suddenly jumped onto one of the nearby motorboats Morro's foster parents had rented and Morro quickly went after her to make sure she didn't cause trouble.

"Morro, wait!" Lloyd called but it was too late, the two teens were already out to sea by the time they even noticed him. Lloyd was now stuck on the docks. He wanted to go after his uncle but he couldn't swim after them and because they were hunting down the old man they had taken the only unlocked boats with them.

"What's up?" A voice suddenly said and Lloyd turned around to find Jay behind him with a sun hat and some fishing gear with him. That was when the blonde-haired teen remembered that Jay had a small fishing habit and a boat to go with it...

* * *

Uncle Wu smiled happily to himself as his boat seemed to glide across the ocean's surface. He soon found himself sailing around the cliffs in the forest that overlooked the sea. He frowned in concern, knowing that there were many dangerous rocks sticking out of the ocean in this area, so he would have to keep an eye out to avoid them. The last thing he needed was to be stranded out here. The old werewolf didn't really know where he was going but right now he didn't care.

He was just enjoying the salty sea air and the gentle rock of the waves against the old red boat.

His content smile quickly dropped, however, when he heard the clear sound of a couple of motorboats closing in behind his boat. He looked outside and frowned when he saw Harumi and Morro following him. He tried to speed off but nothing happened. A feeling of dread settled in his stomach like home when he realized that the engine had stopped running and he was now stranded in the middle of the ocean.

"You can't run old man!" Harumi called as she got closer to the boat. "No one wrecks my jet ski and get's away with it!"

"Get away from me!" Uncle Wu cried as the enraged teen jumped onto his boat and snatched the keys from him.

"You wrecked my boat and I want compensation." She glared as Morro struggled to get onto the boat.

"I don't have money."

"Don't lie me, I heard you tell Lloyd you had treasure here somewhere." She smirked before she started tearing the boat apart, looking for his so-called 'treasure'.

"You can't have that!" He cried and grabbed her arm, only for her to push him. She froze, however, when she saw him clutching his chest with a pained expression before collapsing on the ground.

"HARUMI, WHAT DID YOU DO!?" Morro cried when he saw the unconscious man on the floor and rushed to his side.

"I-I..." She stuttered in shock and fear. Suddenly there was the sound of another motor outside and they both turned around to see Lloyd and Jay pulling up alongside the boat and climbing on board.

"What happened?!" Lloyd cried when he and the ginger-haired teen climbed inside.

"He just collapsed, I think he had another heart attack." She finally said, still in shock.

"We gotta get him to Zane's house," Jay said as he and Lloyd carried him out to his boat. Harumi breathed a sigh of relief until she saw Lloyd glaring at her with pure anger.

"If he dies, it'll be on your head." He spat before following Jay.

"We'll follow you," Morro called as Jay started his boat. Once they were gone he went back inside and glared when he saw the human teen rummaging through the old man's cabinets. As she did this, no one noticed the boat slowly drifting to the left, towards land, since no one had lowered the anchor.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to find that freak's treasure." She replied as if it was perfectly normal.

"I don't believe this!" He snarled as he shut the door, not letting her leave until he talked some sense into her. "You've cost that man his boat, given him another heart attack and now you have the nerve to try and take his things?!"

"He needs to be taught a lesson!"

"Do you even hear yourself right now! I'm ashamed and disgusted with you!" He screamed when all of a sudden the sharp rocks along the rocky shore at the edge of the forest embedded themselves through the hull, knocking the boat so hard that it flung the two teens into a nearby wall, knocking them unconscious. The shock of the impact caused some of the boat to break away. The half of the ship they were trapped in started filling with seawater.

Half of the boat was starting to sink...

* * *

As they made their way back to the docks, both Lloyd and Jay tried calling ahead to let them know Uncle Wu's condition, but there was no phone signal this far out in the water. Lloyd kept looking over his shoulder and was growing more worried when he couldn't see or hear Morro or Harumi's boat following them. He couldn't really care about Harumi. He was more concerned for Morro, expecting the lone wolf to chew her out and leave her alone on the boat.

However, there wasn't any sign of either of them yet and even with his enhanced hearing, Lloyd couldn't hear the sound of motorboats.

Before they knew it, Jay was pulling up to the docks and calling for help for Uncle Wu.

"What's wrong?" Jay asked when he saw the look on Lloyd's face.

"I'm not sure, I'm just going to make sure everything's OK." He said and got ready to run towards the forest. He knew the boat was drifting somewhere along with the ocean and forest met o if he was quick he could check if Harumi was still there and maybe try and recover some of his uncle's possessions aboard the boat.

"Wait, won't she see you!?"

"Not if I'm careful." He said and was about to take off running when he suddenly found Uncle Wu clutching his wrist.

"Please... find my locket... it's t-treasure... don't let her take my treasure." He begged in a frail voice that Lloyd never expected to hear from his uncle. The teen didn't say anything to him and started running, transforming into his wolf form as soon as he hit the treeline...

* * *

Back on the damaged boat, Morro and Harumi both burst from the water that flooded their half of the boat, the water level already reaching to their necks, coughing and gasping as they tried to remember what just happened. Harumi was the first one to recover and quickly swam for the door but started to panic when she found that it was jammed shut. She quickly looked over at Morro and saw that saw he was starting to panic as the water continued the rise.

By now their half of the boat was completely submerged into water, with only the top of the boat, and soon so would they.

There were open windows but they were too small for them to climb out of. Morro might have been able to escape if he was in wolf form, but he couldn't transform with Harumi there. He could only wait and hope Lloyd or Jay would come and save them. Those two were the only ones who knew where they were. They both took a deep breath just before the water swallowed them up. When they opened their eyes again it was dark and blurry but they could still see each other just fine.

They both quickly tried to pull the door open again but it refused to budge.

They kept trying to open the stubborn door for about five seconds. They only stopped when they both realized that they were running out of precious energy and air with no hope of rescue from this watery death. They both looked at each other as they sank to the floor of the boat, ready to accept their fate. When Lloyd finally made it to the sinking boat his stomach dropped when he saw both motorboats were still there, meaning so were Morro and Harumi.

He jumped into the water and started swimming around the sunken half of the ship, looking for an opening.

He took a quick glance through one of the boat's small windows to see if they were really still inside. He started to panic when he saw Harumi and Morro were sitting almost lifelessly in the sunken half of the boat. He then felt relief when he noticed they both had their cheeks puffed out with air, but he knew that time was quickly running out. He swam over to the door but found it sealed shut. He thought for a second and grinned when he thought of something.

He started gnawing into the door with his sharp canine teeth as fast as he could and almost cheered when he felt the old, worn wood of the door begin to break away.

What he didn't know was that Harumi was still conscious, just barely, and she heard the door breaking off. As the door hung loose, she caught a glimpse of Lloyd's snout and white teeth before she lost consciousness once again...

* * *

Morro and Harumi coughed and spluttered as they woke up again. They were lying on the rocky beaches next to the forest. They were soaked through from the cold water and covered in dirt from the rocks under their bodies. They looked around, trying to figure out where they were when they noticed Lloyd sat on a rock nearby, wringing out his soaked shirt, shivering as the cold air blew against the bare skin of his chest. After he had dragged them to safety, Lloyd had run back to get his clothes.

Luckily no one had been around to see him running naked in the forest.

After he had made it back to the shore and saw Morro and Harumi were still unconscious he dunked all his clothes into the water to make it look like he had been in human form when he rescued them so Harumi would never get suspicious. He'd tell Morro what really happened later.

"It's alright, you both floated up and I dragged you to shore." The blonde-haired teen explained as he got up and walked over to them. Harumi looked around and saw their motorboat a little further down the beach.

"B-But we went down and we couldn't get out." She muttered, beyond confused.

"Somehow you did." He shrugged as he and Morro shared a look of understanding.

"There was something down there." She said as she stood up. "Did you see anything?"

"No." He quickly said.

"Me neither," Morro added.

"Yeah, well we saw something, and I'm going to find out what it was." She said as she looked out towards the ocean and the boys shared a worried look but didn't say anything...

* * *

The next morning, Lloyd went to visit his Uncle Wu at Zane's house, where he was recovering. The oldest werewolf was still a bit fragile but Zane's father expected him to make a full recovery so long as he took his medication and avoided stress for the next few days, then he would be able to return home. He was devastated to learn what happened to the boat but was thankful to be alive.

"I got you something." Lloyd smiled as he handed his uncle a tiny box. The older werewolf opened it and gasped when he saw his locket sitting inside. It was a gold, teardrop-shaped one with a white pearl in the center and vine designs engraved into the metal.

"My treasure." He smiled and clutched it close to his heart.

"It wasn't easy to find, it's pretty dark down there now." The teen explained. "I'm sorry about the Destiny's Bounty."

"It was just a boat, the real memories are all in here." He smiled as he pointed to his head. "But more importantly, in here." He added and opened up the locket for his nephew to see. Lloyd gasped when he saw a small picture of a younger Uncle Wu, Garmadon, Misako, and Kai and Nya's parents all smiling at the camera. They all looked to be Lloyd's age and really happy, more than Lloyd had ever seen them in his whole life...


End file.
